


Vetitum Amor

by Lasera (Natsuki158)



Series: Harry Potter and the Stories of Forbidden love. [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Parents, Dark Harry, M/M, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Possessive Tom Riddle, Wrong Boy-Who-Lived (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:15:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23191495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natsuki158/pseuds/Lasera
Summary: The Prophecy has been told.The Wizarding World started to pull up their hope, the hope of defeating the darkest and the scariest Dark Lord: Lord Voldermort.However, they had made a grave mistake, one which will lead them to their downfall.And with it, their true savior will fall to the Dark Lord's embrace.
Relationships: Godric Gryffindor/Salazar Slytherin, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Harry Potter/Voldemort, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Series: Harry Potter and the Stories of Forbidden love. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1667335
Comments: 95
Kudos: 601





	1. That trio of the Potter.

**Author's Note:**

> Before we start, I want to give my appreciation to a great person, Marevolarus, who is this fanfiction's beta reader.  
> Also, Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.  
> Now, let the story of the Forbidden love, begin.

The Potters were attacked by their greatest enemy. The Lord, whose name brings forth despair and fright.

But the prophecy said there will be someone. Someone that can be his equal. Someone that can vanquish him forever.

The Dark Lord was cautious. Therefore he decided to kill that someone as soon as possible.

That day the Potters left the house.

Only the parents of James Potter was in the house that day. The Dark Lord faced no obstacle in his way.  
-No!  
The old woman shouted when she saw her beloved husband fall. It wasn't long after that she lay beside him, dead.

The lord looked at the three siblings. He didn't know which one was the one destined to kill him. The Prophecy had told that it would be the child born as the seventh month died. The year wasn't specified. So the Lord had to choose who he would kill first.  
As he was lost in his mind one of the three, the one with raven hair and emerald eyes awoke. The Lord recognized him as the youngest: Harry James Potter.

The child looked at him in curiosity. His innocent eyes gazed upon him, not afraid of a stranger who looked dangerous. Then, The Dark Lord noticed something in him. Something the twins didn't possess.

A strong, powerful and raw magical aura that was buried deep down within the child. Strangely, it wasn't lashing out like his siblings' magic. It was controlled.

At that moment The Dark Lord knew who he must kill.

-How unfortunate. You could've been a great wizard. Maybe even equal to me. But that is the reason why I must kill you. Now then; goodbye. Harry James Potter.

Avada Kedavra

The Lord said softly. Like he wanted to give the little infant a quick painless death.

But to his surprise, the curse didn't work on the child. Instead, it came back right to him. His screams followed.

The curse's only effect was a lightning bolt scar on Harry and a scar on the opposite hand of the twins.

That day, when James Potter and Lily Potter arrived home they saw the corpses on the floor. It was the most frightening and miraculous day. Imagine the shock of the parents when they saw their children all alive and have the magic signature of no other than the Dark Lord scattered around the room.

The wizarding world started to make assumptions about who in the trio had killed the Dark Lord until Albus Dumbledore finally spoke up.

\- I have concluded the children of the Potter grow up, that the one who killed the Dark Lord is no other than the twins, whose magic ran out wildly and powerfully, also the two bravest and naughtiest children I've ever met.

It is the truth that the twins, the big sister of the trio, Anisha Lily Potter and the second son, Matias James Potter, were extremely naughty and brave in someone's point of view since when they started to prank everyone and started to go to the forest without a second thought about their safety.

Unlike the twins, Harry James Potter was a quiet child. He still loved to play outside like any other children but he didn't talk as much.

Six years later after that day, the twins are both 8 years old and Harry 6 years old.

\- Ani, Mati, sweeties~ Today we are going to have a little picnic with your uncles and the Weasleys!

Lily said happily to her twins. While said children looked excited. The day was July 30, the twin's birthday.

\- Yay! Would there be strawberry cake mommy?

Anisha, or Ani: who had beautiful long red hair and her father's eyes, asked hopefully.

\- Of course, dear. We also have some chocolate cake and I've made a Quidditch field for you to play with the Weasley brothers, Mati!

James Potter excitedly said as he picked up the boy who had his father's faint orange eyes and his mother's red hair.

Far in the corner of the room, was a boy who had raven hair and beautiful emerald eyes. The youngest of the Potters, Harry James Potter.

He stood there, in the hope his mother or father would notice him and actually care to at least smile at him. But they never did that, not for him.

They never seemed happy when they took care of him and they stopped caring about him when he started to be able to do things himself. Unlike him, his siblings got all the attention since they were born, just because they are who they are. The Twins That Lived.

As Harry looked sadly at his family a few knocks from the door made him glance towards the door. His mother quickly ran and opened the door to show no other than his uncles: his godfather Remus and the twins' godfather Sirius.

\- Where are my godchildren?

Sirius said happily, storming in and picking up Matias with a grin. Lily and James only laughed at his enthusiasm. Remus, on the other hand, looked for Harry. He noticed his godson standing at the corner of the room.

\- Hi, Harry. How are you?

Little Harry looked up at his godfather and quickly hid his emotions under a bright smile.

\- Uncle Moony! I'm happy and excited to know that today is their birthday!

Harry hated how fake he was right now.

He hated the smile he always put up in front of every one of them.

Every day, he tried his best to make them proud and instead of praising him, they shouted angrily at him. They said he should never expect to be better than his brother and sister. And even if he tried to, well, there would always be consequences.

That's why he had to play the role of a harmless child, who couldn't do anything but look up to his siblings.

\- Great! Let's go, shall we?

Remus didn't seem to feel anything wrong with his godson. He didn't know what his Godson had been through with his family for a year. The werewolf saw his friends as great, good friends who did anything to help him.

Harry knew that so he never told his godfather about it, he didn't have the heart to break his uncle Moony's belief and heart.  
As he walked silently behind Remus, he could hear his siblings go on and on with presents and Quidditch. His parents talked about the Weasleys. Sirius laughed at any joke Matias said and Remus chuckled at Sirius anytime he was being dramatic.

The picture of his family was peaceful and full of happiness. He wasn't in it.

The youngest child of the Potters sighed heavily.

The birthday party wasn't held far from the house. It took them five minutes to walk to the tables placed on a small hill. There was a lake nearby, a big tree casts a shadow on the tables full of sweets, food and drinks, especially a big double-deck cake with two flavours, chocolate and strawberry.

There is also another table, filled with presents from many places. The wizarding world couldn't help but send presents to their saviours, so there were more than fifty presents for each of the siblings.

Next to the colourful tables, it's a Quidditch's field. They didn't let Matias fly on his own because of his safety even if they still played violently. A few minutes later, the Weasleys come, they are really noisy but the children of their house are close and they admire Matias and Anisha too.

\- Great to see you here, Arthur!

James happily said.

\- How can I miss our little saviours' birthday party?

Arthur answered with a big smile on his face. At the same time, Lily was talking with Mrs Weasley as the children played with each other. Remus and Sirius were talking and playing with the children. Harry stood in the big tree's shade while watching this peaceful and happy picture with a bitter smile until he was called by Remus to join in singing 'Happy Birthday' to his siblings and watch them unwrap their presents. New toys, books, jewellery and clothes. They seem happy so the adults are also happy for them, but they didn't notice a mischievous smile appear on Matias and Anisha faces when they look at some jewellery, even our little Harry, who is focusing on eating.

Ron is called to the siblings while eating a cupcake. Matias whispered something to his ear while Anisha takes some sweets and jewellery.

After that, they approach the youngest of the Potters with an innocent smile. Harry looked at them, confused. He didn't know what they were planning.

\- Hey Harry, we think we should give you some sweets, so here: take some.

Anisha said sweetly with a very big sister-like smile. Harry looked at the sweets his sister gave him and wondered if he should take them. It's not like Anisha never gave him sweets before, but they usually were the flavours she didn't like, and these sweets are her favourites. Still, he just couldn't decline her, she may cry and then he would take the blame for it.

\- Uhm, thank you, big sister.

He said politely as he took the sweets, not noticing Ron has run to the adults a minute before Harry took the sweets.

\- Mr Potter! Harry is taking his siblings presents out of jealousy!

He shouted out loud and it made Harry realize what had happened. They give him sweets to make him in trouble. James heard it and immediately shouted:

\- HARRY JAMES POTTER!

The father came to his twins who had a sorrowful face and watery eyes.

\- D...Dad, ple..please don't hurt... Harry.

Anisha said between her fake sobs.

\- H..He did take some...sweets and...and pieces of jewellery… but... But he is our brother so dad, please?

Talked little Matias with his disappointed face.

But Jewelry?

Right when he heard that, he put his hand in his pockets, feeling a cold sensation. He takes them out, so Ron had been putting these necklaces and rings in his pockets while the siblings distracted him.

Harry knew right now no one would listen to him. Uncle Moony looked at him disappointedly and Sirius looked furious just like James and said:

\- I can't believe it, Harry! You can't just steal your siblings' presents!

\- How can they live with a brother like you, Harry?

\- You should be grateful that they are your siblings!

One by one, James, Sirius, Lily, Remus and The Weasleys scolds him. Telling him how wrong he is, telling him how he must be grateful to become the twins that lived's brother, telling him if he wants to be like them, he must work and do something as great as them.

Harry didn't say anything, he looked down, didn't meet the eyes of the adults, but he did notice the chuckles coming from his siblings and Ron.

Harry knows he can't do anything against them, if he does, he will be beaten up like the past 1 year.

Nevertheless, seeing how angry James is, he knows today he will... receive some punishment.

And as he thought, the moment they part ways with the Weasleys and the godfathers, James holds his shirt and drags him to a room he is so familiar with.

James hits him with punches, kicks...

Harry tried his best to hold back his cry and scream. He used to cry a lot when he was in this room. After a few times, he knew to scream only made his throat hurt so he tried to hold them back. When James exhausts his anger he leaves him there.  
Harry sighed as he positioned himself in a more comfortable position.

"No meals today then, thank god I eat a bit more than usual today"

He thinks before he drifted to sleep with his soared and aching body.

He closed his eyes, feeling his consciousness drift away. Only to open them a moment later.

Little Harry looked around himself and found that he was in a place that looked like a study room but didn't have enough light to see it clearly.

Something got his attention, wait not something: someone.

Someone with cold red eyes that shined brightly in the dark corner he was standing.

\- So, who are you, boy?


	2. A friend.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has found his first friend.

The little saviour looked at the stranger across from him. He seemed like a teenager, sixteen years old or close to it. The stranger carried an elegant, dangerous but weird aura around him. Harry didn't care much, he was pretty sure this was a dream.

\- Hello sir, I'm Harry, Harry Potter. Nice to meet you.

Harry said with a beautiful smile on his face. He didn't know this person but it was a dream, so there was no reason to hide his true expression with a friendly, fake, smile.

The stranger looked at the little child with an expressionless face. Deep down he was thinking how this child, who had killed him and had made a part of him roam in Albina, was here and talking to him.

\- I'm Tom Riddle. It's a pleasure to meet you, Potter.

The Dark Lord answered. Right now, he didn't have much knowledge about the boy. But maybe he would learn, gain what he needed right now. Information.  
\- So can I call you Tom? And can you tell me why you are here in my dream? Also, please call me Harry.

Harry said while observing his new acquaintance. The teenager before him was surely charming and when Tom Riddle smiled at him, he was pretty sure that any woman would've fallen for him.

\- Very well, you can call me Tom. Let's sit down and have a nice conversation, shall we?

They moved to the sofa in the middle of the room, Tom using his wand to pour tea into 2 cups. He pushed one of them towards Harry. The child thanked and took the cup, enjoying it. Tom did the same and leaned back.

\- As for your question, this is a dream for you. To me? Not as much.

Putting down his cup, he looked at Harry with furrowed brows.

\- I believe this is one of my memories. I'm curious as to how you can be here. Are you sure this is a dream for you?

Harry put down his cup and for the first time, he showed the other side of him to another person. His eyes reflected the maturity that shouldn't be there. The aura around him shifted to a cold, lonely one.

\- I see, this is truly mysterious. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep in that room and when I opened my eyes I was here, with you.  
I don't know much about magic, but I remember hearing my family talking to Albus Dumbledore about using a Fidelius charm on our house. They looked relieved after hearing that so I assume it's a powerful one?

The boy asked but continued without waiting for an answer.

-And they talked about more charms to notify the Headmaster when someone enters the house. So there is no way someone brought me here to your memory without the headmaster and my family noticing.

Tom had to say that he was impressed with how the child took the information and knew which information he had was relevant. However, the child's disgust when he said "that room" didn't slip through Tom's mind. He would ask later.

The dark lord started to think of many possibilities on how the child could be here. He is a master of Occlumency. There was no way some child could break into his mind without him knowing. And even if the child can, how can he be near him to use the spell? Also, he didn't possess a body and his other self is not stupid enough to come near the Potters in a state where he couldn't protect himself.  
Nevertheless, if it's not Legilimency then what is it?

\- I don't think we have enough information to solve the mystery just yet, Tom. If it's a spell then I have to be near you or at least know you, but this is the first time I met you so that possibility is impossible. Also, if someone wants to know things about you or me, they should make themselves come into my mind or your mind, not my dream and not make me come into one of your memories because as I see, this memory of yours didn't hold anything important, or any weakness. And why would they, the one who cast the spell, want a child like me to go into your memories in the first place?

Tom stays silent for a while, just like Harry said, the act to bring someone to one memory or dream is extremely tiresome and difficult especially when you are facing an Occlumency's master. If they used so much effort to come into his memory they should find an adult or at least a teenager who understands magic more.

Every child in a magic family knew what the child knows but they didn't know how to use any spell, so sending this child is futile. The child was smart but he didn't show any kind of hatred or intention to take any information from him. And the child didn't know who he was facing because if he did: he would be more careful. More afraid.  
The Potters are his enemy so it was only normal if their children knew him and feared him. Or think that they defeated him. That, he must find out. It's interesting to know how they reacted.

\- I see, very well then. Let's talk about something else since we seem to be hitting a dead-end at this. Tell me, I hear that the dark lord is defeated by one of the Potter's children, do you know who it is?

Harry's aura changed. He couşd see that Tom's seriousness had faded a little.

The child chuckled and that made Tom think Harry intended to say something really arrogant. He was surprised by the sadness and... hurt the child reflected. It was surprising.

\- The twins of course. They are acting like they are gods apparently, and the wizarding world thinks so too. I guess you would think that way too, no surprise there.

The hurtful but bitter tone of the child didn't escape the Dark Lord. He thinks that maybe Harry was hurt because he was the one who vanquished him and not the twins.

That could hardly be the case. He was only an infant then. He couldn't remember that. Also, the Dark Lord had to restrain himself from getting angry and enraged because of this child's disrespect. How dare he compare him, the Dark Lord, to the... other people. He would teach the child not to address him like that, with that tone of voice or annoyance. But not now.

Harry was expecting Tom would ask more about the twins, after all, who wouldn't want to know more about the twins that lived? However, a part of him was still hoping this new acquaintance of his wouldn't and care about him more.

\- I see. That's interesting and it seems that you don't get along well with your siblings, you show me a great amount of sadness and annoyance when talking about them.

Tom didn't miss the way those beautiful emerald eyes shined when he finished the sentence. The child had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen though he would never admit that to him so soon. Harry, on the other hand, was feeling a weird sensation for meeting the first person who ever cared enough to notice something about him, even just a little bit.

\- Ye… yes, I didn't get along well with them.

\- Do you mind if I ask you why?

Harry stayed silent for a while. He was scared that Tom would say he was a liar, he was scared that this new acquaintance he just met would hate him for telling bad things about his sibling. While he was thinking, his thoughts were shown slightly on his pale face, which got paler the more he wondered.

\- My apologies, it's rude of me to ask you such a personal question, maybe we can talk about something else? Is there anything you want from me, Harry?

The boy seemed relieved at the change of topic and smiled nervously at Tom.

\- I don't think I want anything from you. We just met. I don't even know if I can meet you again.

A sad smile appeared on the child's face.

\- And if we were able to meet again? What would you want if that was possible?

Harry went deep in his thoughts and smiled a beautiful, warm smile.

\- Then I guess I want you to be my friend because you are the first person who didn't see me as the brother of the twins that lived. But as Harry Potter.

It was true. All Harry wanted was someone who saw him as only himself. A friend, who would listen to what he said and his ideas like Tom did.

The Dark Lord looked at how open the child looked. He looked like he never had someone that listened to him, that saw him as who he really was.

A child of the Potters should've had a lot of friends, a lot of luxury. They were a famous family, and many would want to have a relationship with them, friend, acquaintance or even marriage. But this child was so different. He didn't show any signs of being spoilt, he didn't seem to be an insolent brat when he was normal and not emotional. So there was hardly anything people would hate about him. Therefore, why? Why was this child so different from what Tom expected him to be?

\- Then, we shall befriend, who knows, maybe we will meet again in person. I told you, I'm just a memory, there are chances you may meet me. We don't know if this situation is a one-time thing or not. Maybe we will meet again in your dreams.

\- You… Do you really want to be my friend?

Tom nodded calmly under that unbelievable gaze of the child. Harry was at the same time happy and surprised because he had never had a friend before. No one wanted to be his friend because the twins said bad things about him all the time. The teenager looked at the still surprised and lost child and chuckled. Harry heard Tom's soft chuckle, so he immediately got out of his state and smiled brightly and happily. It was real this time.

\- It's my pleasure to be your friend, Tom!

And that's how the fate of the wizarding world slowly shifted without anyone noticing.


	3. The next day

Waking from his slumber, Harry found himself still in the torture room. It was already past midnight. Harry sighed heavily and tried to stand up as the dim moonlight filtered into the room. He leaned against the rough wall to steady himself. The cold of it cleared his mind a bit more. Harry picked himself up and slowly walked back to his room.

His room was smaller than the other rooms in the Manor. However, it was still bigger than a normal Muggles bedroom. Harry took out his first aid kit, given to him by Uncle Moony, and sat down on the floor. Remus had thought he was only clumsy when he had given the box to him with a warm smile.

As Harry patched himself up, he thought of his dream: Where he met his friend Tom.

It was probably just a dream, a part of his imagination. But Harry was happy even with the thought of it. Still, if Tom was real he would need to think about how he was there. In Tom's memories.

When he had woken he hadn't seen anyone else in the room or any sight of a fight around. Everything was just as he had left it. And that only left one option which was the theory that he had slipped into someone else's memory. A strangers memory.

This whole thing was so weird.

Oh well, they had decided to let it go for now.

After finishing taking care of his injuries Harry slowly lay on the bed. He thought about what happened at the party. The twins weren't always like this. Harry remembered: they had loved him once, didn't do anything to him. But one day, one party had changed everything.

_It was a cloudy day. Their family was invited to a party hosted by the minister. They became the main attraction of everyone as soon as they arrived. The twins were quickly being surrounded by their fans as those who wished to have a better relationship with the Potters for more opportunities in the wizarding world approached the parents._

_The Twins, at the time, hadn't known they were famous. They had thought the people around them had simply loved them, wanted to be at their side. They had loved the attention.  
James and Lily also got too many conversations with the guests._

_Harry, on the other hand, was completely ignored by everyone. He was good with it though: he didn't like attention and people surrounding him made him feel breathless, suffocated. He enjoyed the pudding he was having and looked at his siblings fondly. He occasionally smiled reassuringly to them or waved his hand so that they could see him in case they looked around to find him. Everything was fine until a group of children, older children, came towards him._

_\- So you are the twins' younger brother?_

_Asked the highest one of the group. Harry awkwardly nodded at him. He didn't like how they looked at him: like he was a toy to play with; like they wanted to do something to him._

_\- Hah, you look so ridiculous, how can you be related to the twins who lived? You do not deserve that!_

_One of them said with a hint of jealousy in his voice._

_\- I bet you don't even know how to do magic when your siblings used it for the first time! I feel like you are going to be a squib!_

_A girl said with disgust in her voice._

_\- I feel sorry for the twins to have you as a younger brother! But if they accepted you, I wonder if they are really that great. Anyone that stands you is not great, they are dumb for sure!_

_Said the one standing next to the girl._

_Harry was angry at those words. Even though his parents didn't care about him much, his siblings still loved him dearly. They even said that he was their favorite playmate and that they loved him a lot. Uncle Moony said that he was the best thing that happened in his life. So he couldn't stand people who insulted him and those who he loved._

_Suddenly, the girl's beautiful dress caught on fire. The plate that stood next to the girl's head shattered. The highest of the group had his clothes tighten and he screamed in pain and discomfort._

_People looked at them immediately when they heard the scream. James came to his side and looked at the group, he looked somewhat annoyed but he helped them and for a brief moment, Harry swore he saw James glaring at him._

_\- Are you all alright?_

_James used his most concerned voice to ask them which was answered by the many nods. They ran away quickly when they finally recovered from the shock. Harry innocently looked at them than James. His father quickly moved back to the group he was talking to._

_Harry continued his pudding when everyone went back to talk. However, he could hear his name mentioned by the adults._

_\- Can it be accidental magic from the youngest child of the Potter?_

_Asked one of the females in a nearby group._

_\- That may be it. However, isn't it weird? If the twins were those who killed you- know- who, they're supposed to be more powerful right? That means they had to be the first to wake and use their magic._

_A man nearby answered._

_\- Should we approach him? If it was him who did that, he might become very powerful in the future. Also, he can help us get to know the twins._

_They continued to talk about him and the accident that just happened. Harry didn't like how they looked at him either, they looked like they wanted to eat him or drown him in their gaze. Lily didn't care much about what they talked about but she clearly was not comfortable with it so she quickly changed the topic when anyone asked about it. However, James didn't seem like he liked it. Occasionally, Harry caught James's angry gaze in the party and looked straight at him._

_When they got back to the Potter's manor, all of a sudden James violently grabbed his wrist and pulled him to a room he had never been to before. His father then threw him hard on the floor. The twins ran after their father because they were worried about their younger brother._

_\- You ungrateful child! How dare you use magic before your siblings! And hurt the others as a bonus!_

_James slapped Harry when he finished the sentence._

_\- Remember this! You are not going to use any magic and take away the attention that the twins have!_

_Another slap. James continuously slapped and shouted at Harry, saying Harry was just a worthless spare, saying Harry was not special and he would not use any magic around the twins or anyone. James did it because he didn't want the attention everyone gave the twins to fade or move to Harry. The twins needed the attention and the support from the society so that if the dark lord, like Albus had said: hadn't died yet and came back, the twins would have the support and kill you-know-who. Also, James' business was growing more and more thanks to the product and pictures he made using the twin as the models and the attention the other companies seek from the twins. He didn't want to lose more money in making products based on Harry._

_The twins wanted to make James stop hurting their brother but then Lily came up clearly understanding what James was doing. She said softly at the twins:_

_\- Dears, look at me, please._

_The twins looked at their mother immediately._

_\- You like the attention and the gifts you get from people around you right?_

_The two looked at each other then nodded. Lily smiled kindly and spoke:_

_\- You see, your younger brother was trying to take them away from you by using magic. Do you remember the accident that happened at the party today right? That was your brother's doing. He was jealous with you two so he did it to get attention._

_The two looked at their mother in horror, they loved Harry, that's why this idea made them so terrified. Lily patted their heads gently and sadly smiled._

_\- So you have to teach your brother a lesson right? You don't want your gifts to be taken by Harry right? Then you should do something to show him that he was not special and show him that he would never be able to be as good and as special as you are. You two are the twins who lived, the one who killed one of the scariest dark lords in history after all._

_The twin exchanged a look then looked at their younger brother in disgust, they were only children, spoilt children, so their minds were simple, they didn't want their presents to be taken, they didn't want anything from them taken away so they would do anything to keep their things. They left the room, ignored whatever state Harry was in after James finished. The four of them left and closed the door._

_Tears from the beautiful emerald eyes fell as Harry heard the door closing, not locked. Harry heard everything Lily said and he knew when he saw his sibling gaze, he knew things had changed._

Harry sighed, it was stupid to think of the past and feel sad again. He was done with it. He knew they couldn't go back to how things used to be. Now, all that mattered to him was to survive, to live till he was able to take care of himself. Therefore, he would try his best to stay out of trouble.

The next day, Harry woke up and figured that he was locked in the room. Sighing heavily, he walked to the small bookshelf he had and took a book about charms and curses. He knew that a house-elf would arrive and give him food like they always did. James wouldn't risk him dying out of starving but he only gave him enough food to hold on, he was never really full.

Harry, while hating being locked up, had his way to entertain himself: reading. The little boy enjoyed any kind of book so he had quite an amount of knowledge, even the Dark Arts, although he didn't know much but compared to a second-year student in Hogwart, his knowledge in Dark Arts would make them feel ashamed of themselves. After all, sometimes he would spend his time with his godfather and uncle Padfoot in Grimmauld and he could spend his time in the Black's infamous library. His writing was still a bit clumsy but at least it was better than the twins who had very bad handwriting.

Little Harry read for hours until a small 'pop' sounded. The house-elf, Nina, brought him some food and a drink. While he was eating, he could hear laughing from outside. Harry looked out the window and saw the twins playing tag with James, Lily and Remus. Sirius must be at his job so he wasn't there with them. Looking at them made him wonder, the twins had done accidental magic since last year and none of them ever thought of training them. They were the saviour of the Wizarding world, so if they wanted to keep their reputation as such, didn't they had to train to impress the others when it was time for school? Thinking for a while, Harry came to a few conclusions.

Conclusion number 1: The twins don't want to practise magic and James and Lily would accept that because they loved to spoil the twin.

Conclusion number 2: James and Lily didn't want to ruin their childhood being normal children, which meant all they had to think of was playing and enjoying their life.

Little Harry just didn't know that it was a mix of both conclusions. Dumbeldore had come and asked the twins whether they wanted to have some lessons with him but they had declined because they didn't like theories and books. They loved Quidditch more than studying. No one would force the twins to do anything so they just accepted it.

Temporarily forgetting about the twins, Harry continued to read his book after finishing his meal. Slowly, it was dark again. The moon had risen and the twins had gone to sleep. James and Lily didn't even think of unlocking the door until Nina asked them what to do with Harry. Although he wouldn't have a meal, he got back his freedom to roam around the house so that was nice enough.  
Harry used his little time before his bedtime to go to the library, took some new books and put those he had already read back. He didn't know if tomorrow the twins would do something or his father would have a bad day or he does some accidental magic without knowing. He would need something to entertain him if he got locked up again.

Quickly taking a shower and taking care of the injuries, he went to bed. Before he fell to sleep, the only thought in his mind was that he would have a nice day tomorrow and he would meet his new friend in his dream again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait ^^'  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter.


	4. An accident and a tutor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for late update ^^'  
> \- is for talking to people in real life.  
> " " is for talking through the mind link.   
> Parseltongue will be added later when they appeared.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it.

The familiar study room appeared before his eyes, but there was a slight change, the room seemed brighter by a bit. Last time Harry hadn’t had the chance to observe the room much but this time, he did. The main colours of this room were green, silver and black which Harry found he liked better than the red and yellow his family so adored. It was bigger than Potters’ study room and it was more elegant. Looking around excitedly, Harry wished to find the familiar figure. 

\- It seems like this was not a one-time thing. 

A charming, smooth voice echoed behind Harry. Tom was leaning against the wall behind him, looking at Harry curiously. 

\- It’s nice to see you again Tom. 

The little boy smiled happily at the teen. He knew this was unusual but he didn’t care about it: Tom was his friend and that was that. The older boy nodded and moved to sit on the couch. He motioned Harry to sit opposite him. Tom was curious about the whole situation. He had never seen any texts about this before. Harry, on the other hand, happily sat in front of him, his smile was still present. 

\- So, did you see any weird things when you woke up? 

Harry calmly poured himself a cup of tea and answered. 

\- Unfortunately, no. There were no signs of anyone that had come into the house, my parents left me in the room alone and they wouldn’t waste their time to do rituals or cast spells to let me meet someone in my dream. It would waste their magic and they don’t really like the fact I have a friend after all. 

Tom also poured himself a cup of tea and raised an eyebrow as he heard the last part. What kind of parents wouldn’t like their child to have friends? The Potters couldn’t be the abusive kind of parents…. Could they? 

\- I see that means we still have no clue about why this all happened. So we should and will leave it. For now.

Harry nodded calmly and enjoyed his cup of tea. 

\- Why not talk about something else? How about your life? 

Tom wasn’t only curious about this situation but also about how Harry was so different from what he expected him to be. When the child had left; Tom had thought about their discussion and what he had got from Harry. He wanted to laugh at Dumbledore for mistaking the one who vanquished him.  
However, it was also an advantage for him: the true prophesied child was his friend right now. He was the Dark Lord and he wouldn’t take back his words about them being friends. That was one of his reputations but he still wondered what made him offer the child friendship of all things? He could’ve said they could be acquaintances. Yet he offered it to the boy. Something he never offered to anyone. Was it because the child was prophesied to be his equal? No, that wasn’t it. There was something else. 

Harry froze when he heard what Tom suggested. He didn’t want to talk about his life because it was somewhat embarrassing and he was afraid that Tom would act differently around him if he knew. Harry looked at him and smiled nervously

\- I.... don’t really like to talk about my life… You see, it’s a bit embarrassing to talk about it. Maybe we can talk about our hobbies and favourites? 

Embarrassing was not something Tom thought about when he suggested talking about Harry’s life. His interest in the boy’s life started to increase at this point. He would find out eventually, that was for sure. So now he would be patient. 

\- Alright, what do you do in your free time? 

Harry’s eyes started to sparkle and shine brightly. Tom didn’t understand why the boy would be excited about such a topic. It was a normal, original and common question. 

\- I like reading books! My family has a very big library and there are a lot of books there. I especially like A Collection of Above Three Hundred Receipts in Cookery, Physick, and Surgery, it gives me the information I would need. I also love to read some charms and curse books but I can’t cast them yet. Sometimes I read books about the Dark Arts but there are not many books about that category in my family’s library. The books we got are from Dorea Black: my grandmother on my father's side. 

Tom never thought that Harry was the bookworm type but more surprisingly, the child read books about the Dark Arts? A child from one of the lightest family he ever met? Now that was a surprise he never expected to see. There was also something suspicious too, of course. The reason a child would need the knowledge about his own body and how to take care of it. Usually, no children in the magical world needed to know the receipt to make potions to cure injuries or how to do first- aid. 

\- Interesting. Why do you need information about medical care and potions actually? And why don’t you play with toys? Boys your age usually like to play outside or with toys. Especially with the Potters, the family with the tradition of producing proud Gryffindors.

Harry was nervous again. Tom wondered what the boy was hiding. Just a moment ago, he seemed excited, now he seemed nervous. The Dark Lord did notice that the child was good at acting but he didn’t seem like he was. Tom was a master at acting too. He would know if Harry was acting or not. 

\- Well, I… I’m… Uhm… 

The little boy didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to lie to his friend like how the twins lied to his parents or how people around the twins said things they didn’t mean. He wanted to go outside and have some fresh air of course but his parents wouldn’t let him outside with the twins. He loved reading, that was true, but he also had another reason to read, he didn’t have anything to do aside from reading and the twins wouldn’t go near the library. Harry looked at Tom’s curious red eyes. He didn’t want to lie to his first friend but he didn’t want to tell the truth either. He sighed.

\- I don’t really want to talk about it, it’s something about my life. However, I love reading. That’s true, but I have other reasons to read too. So, can you, you know, wait till I want to talk about it?  
He asked nervously, afraid that Tom would demand the answers now. The older teen, however, didn’t have that intention to demand the answers right away, he knew that there were things one didn’t want to talk about and needed time to be ready for the conversation. He, after all, also had events in his life that he never wanted to talk about. Tom nodded his head in understanding and Harry let out a sigh of relief. 

\- Thank you. - Harry said excitedly. - So what about you? What do you usually do in your free time? When you’re living I mean. 

Tom chuckled at how Harry’s mood changed so quickly. 

\- I have to say, we are quite similar in this regard. I also love to read especially about the Dark Arts but I also have…. Let's just call them idiots that I need to take care of. 

Harry looked at him curiously as he had another cup of tea. 

\- I see, what kind of idiots if you don’t mind me asking? 

\- The kind that won’t listen to the warning and can’t see what’s best for them. 

Harry chuckled at that. He knew that kind of idiots, his twins were an example for that. They never stopped to think about the warnings they got about the forest or the potion that their mother was working on. Sometimes, they had serious injuries because of their own stupidity. 

After that, they continued to talk about many things, the theories that Harry didn’t understand, what they thought about the wizarding world, the people around them. Tom and Harry didn’t say it out loud but they did feel that the other person had somewhat had the same past, it was just a feeling because they sometimes slipped a bit about their family and how they live, the two didn’t question it because they knew the other wouldn’t want to tell. 

Despite how much Harry wanted to continue their conversation, morning had come and he had to wake up. Just as he got out of the room, Nina came and informed him that today the Longbottoms would visit so he was “advised” to stay in his room or the library, also he was not allowed to come and have breakfast with them so Nina would bring breakfast to wherever he was going to stay for the day. 

With a heavy sigh, Harry asked the elf to bring his breakfast to the library and quickly went there before his parents or the twins saw him. Harry had met the Longbottom family before. He heard that they were attacked by some Death Eaters because their son was also a target like the twins. 

Thankfully, they were able to survive because they have made an emergency Portkey and always had it on them. The Longbottom family were nice and caring, their son was shy so he didn’t had the chance to talk to the boy. However, he had only met them once because that time Alice Longbottom seemed to notice some of Harry’s bruises and James didn’t want to explain if she asked more about his injuries. 

The library of the Potter was big and everything was red and yellow, which made Harry a bit uncomfortable. He knew about the Potters obsession with Gryffindors and he knew about how they thought of Slytherin. Harry thought it was rubbish and stupid. No one deserved to be called evil because they were in Slytherin. Self-preservation is a nice trait and they were clever too. Seriously though, they said that all the dark families only produced bad people and they surely will be in Slytherin but then what about uncle Padfoot? He was a Black, from a dark family, and yet he was a Gryffindor and an Auror as a bonus. Harry could never understand how his parent's mind and logic worked. 

A few minutes later after he got to the library, Nina brought his breakfast, this time, the food was better and the amount was more than yesterday. Harry knew James didn’t instruct the elf to do so, it wasted his time, this was definitely Nina’s work. 

\- Thank you, Nina, I appreciate it. 

The little boy smiled gratefully at the elf and Nina burst out crying in happiness then left. Harry chuckled at that, the elves in the house were nice to him, nicer than his own family. The bitterness started to surface but Harry pulled it all back inside and focused on the books he took from the shelves. He didn’t want to add bitterness in his already soured mood, his talks with Tom have been great so he wasn’t in a completely bad mood. 

As he sat at the table next to the window, he could see the Longbottoms arrival. The son, Nevile Longbottom, was still shy as ever and the twins liked to use that to their advantage and sometimes verbally bullied the boy. They didn’t engage physically because they didn’t want any scandal. A scandal would ruin their reputation along with their parents’ relationship with the Longbottoms.

Harry continued his book as he saw them come inside the manor, he wanted to find out why he was able to meet Tom in his dreams. He was too real to be a dream to him. Therefore right now, Harry looked for books about dreams, minds and memories’ kind of magic, theories, charms and rituals; anything he could find in the library. He really hoped he would find something. 

While Harry was reading in the library, the twins were with James and Lily to talk to the Longbottoms. 

\- We are so sorry that we can’t come to the twins' birthday. It’s also Neville’s birthday so we had a vacation together. We bought some presents for the twins though. Happy belated birthday! 

Frank Longbottom, Lord Longbottom, said cheerfully at the twins who looked at the presents happily. They quickly said “Thank you” and then tore up the wrapping papers. Anisha received a beautiful ruby necklace, Matias received a new set of balls and gloves for Quidditch. They were happy with their gifts and eager to use them. 

\- Oh, that’s so nice of you Frank! You know what? We also have a gift for Neville! 

James said happily and gave the Longbottom’s child the box wrapped in red and yellow paper. Neville shyly took the presents and thanked James for it. They all knew about Neville's love for plants so James had bought him a book about Herbology and some seeds to plant. The boy was excited when he saw his presents. Alice looked at her child and chuckled. He could only be talkative when it came to Herbology. 

After that, the children were told that they could go outside and play while the adults talked about things they needed to discuss. 

Anisha and Matias were oh so happy to comply and took Neville with them. The Longbottom’s boy, on the other hand, didn’t really want to leave his parents because he didn’t want to hear what they said about him. They played outside for a while, playing tags, hide and seek and many more, but they quickly got bored. Neville wasn’t as energetic as them so he didn’t make a good playmate. 

\- Ani, can you think of something we can play? I’m bored!

Said Matias, who was laying on the grass and rolling around. The girl looked thoughtful for a while then smiled mischievously. 

\- Harry can be our next game! 

Neville, who sat not too far from them, suddenly felt worried for the youngest of the Potters. He hadn’t talked with Harry before but the boy seemed to be a very kind one, he was also quiet most of the time too. He really didn’t want to see anything bad happen to him.

\- What is your plan sis? 

Matias said, fully concentrating on his sister. Anisha rarely came up with a prank, usually, Matias did, but anytime she had an idea. It never was fun for the victim. 

\- Well, I remember that mom just brewed a potion, which can make a magical core unstable! 

Anisha said cheerfully and Matias was impressed. Neville was terrified, he needed to tell the adults! However, before he could do that. Matias noticed and held him back. He looked at Neville and said mischievously. 

\- You are not going anywhere, Neville. Until we’re finished with our prank on our little brother. You will enjoy it, believe me! That brother of mine deserves it, mom and dad said so. 

Neville was pulled by Matias to go to the potion lab. Anisha followed close and immediately found the potion on the desk her mother always put her new potions on and poured half of the bottle to another one. Neville was too stunned and terrified to say anything. He couldn’t believe what they were doing. The 3 of them left the lab and went to the Matias room right after they got the potion. As Matias closed the door, Anisha sat on the bed and said thoughtfully:

\- Now, how are we going to feed him this without getting caught? 

\- How about mix it in a treacle tart and tell the elf to tell Harry that the treacle tart was from the Longbottoms? No one could link it to us and also, no one would believe him! 

Matias said. Neville sat there, still terrified with what they were doing. Now they were using his family name for their prank? 

\- I… I don’t think that is a good idea…. Using my family’s name… 

Neville used all of his courage to speak up. Anisha looked at him then frowned: 

\- I think it’s a good idea! If you have an idea that is better than that then speak up. If you worry about the use of your family name, don’t worry, as long as you keep your mouth shut, it's going to be fine. Harry will never talk to your family about this, my parents won’t let him talk to them. 

Neville kept his mouth shut when he encountered Matias’ glare. He really wanted to stop them but he didn’t know what to do. He was scared too. He knew that everyone would believe the twins who lived, no one would believe him. The twin called their own personal elf Mis to make a Treacle Tart and poured the potion in there. After that, they called Nina to bring the dessert to their brother and explain to the elf what to say to Harry. 

\- Master Harry.

As he heard those words, Harry turned to the left and saw Nina with a treacle tart. He looked at the elf, confused. 

\- This is the treacle tart the guests gives you. Nina was told to bring it to you. 

Harry nodded in acknowledgement and Nina put the pie next to his book. After the elf left, Harry looked at the pie and smiled sheepishly, the Longbottoms actually had remembered him. That was something unexpected. He took a piece of the treacle tart and ate it. 

It tasted a bit different but he guessed it was their own recipe, it still tasted good though. He finished the pie while reading his book. A few minutes after Nina took away the plate, Harry felt weirdly uncomfortable and got a headache. He slowly closed his book and put it neatly on the table, the elves would put it back to where it was later. Usually, he would do it but now he just wanted to rest, the headache and the uncomfortable feeling were growing every minute. 

As he walked slowly back to his room, Harry didn’t notice the cracks forming on the chairs and the tables in the library. Every small thing near him broke a little.  
Thankfully, he didn't pass by anything too valuable. Just as he arrived at his room, he collapsed on the floor and the flowerpot on the table exploded. His head felt like it was going to explode, his body hurt everywhere. His sight started to get blurry. At that moment, he only wished that his friend was there for him. 

“Tom…”

Tom was in the study room when he heard Harry calling his name. Looking around, Tom didn’t see anyone, he was starting to think it was just an imagination when a slight pain hit his body. Something was not right. 

Trying to look for the source of his pain, he concentrated on his magic and he was met with a strange sight of a red and yellow room. He could hear the whimper of a child close to him but he didn’t find any child in the view, he couldn’t move his sight as he wanted either. Suddenly, he remembered hearing Harry’s voice call for him. It was hardly possible but trying wouldn’t hurt. 

“Harry?”

The pain started to increase more and more with every passing minute. Harry was starting to lose his consciousness when he heard the voice of his friend echo in his mind. He was surprised but the pain didn’t leave him enough time for him to think of it.

“Tom! I don’t know why but I’m hurt! Things in my room are slowly exploding!”

The teen knew immediately what had happened to Harry when he finished his sentence and if he didn’t want Harry to die, he needed to fix it quickly. 

“Harry, listen to me. Relax yourself a bit, close your eyes, breathe slowly and deeply.” 

The child didn’t know why Tom told him to do that but he still listened because he believed his friend. Harry closed his eyes and relaxed himself. He then tried to slow his breathing, the pain was still there but he felt slightly better somehow after a few deep breaths. 

“- Good, now do you know how to control your magic?”  
Harry nodded, he knew because if he didn’t, he would get beaten for accidental magic. The child concentrated on the familiar warm feeling inside himself, it had gone chaotic but it was still fixable. He slowly asked the magic in him to calm down and as if it was actually understanding him, the magic calmed quickly after he asked it. Tom, strangely enough, could see and feel what Harry was doing. He was impressed that Harry could control his magic quite well and his way of control was different from him and most wizards and witches. He would bend magic to his will, he would never ask it. 

The child let out a relieved breath after the pain faded away. He had read about unstable magical cores before: it was a rare situation when it happened to a child, it could be because the child was really bad at controlling his magic but had an amount of an adult. Adults had this situation when they were interrupted in the middle of a ritual or when they were triggered by another witch or wizard. That was why this situation was weird.

“ Tom…. Thank you.” 

He whispered in hope that his friend would hear. Back to the fact that Tom could talk to him in his mind, another weird mystery. 

“Your welcome Harry. Now then, how did your magic end up unstable?” 

“I honestly don't know. No one came near me besides the house-elf, so no one can do it directly. Do you have any guesses?” 

Tom fell into silence. There were many ways to make the magical core unstable indirectly, the most common way is through potions. 

“Harry, did you eat anything before this happened?” 

Harry took in what he said slowly then burst out.

“No, it can’t be! Why would the Longbottoms want to harm me?”

“So you did eat something and Harry, it doesn’t need to be the Longbottoms. You said that you only met the house-elf so I assume that the elf brought the food to you and said that it came from the Longbottoms, correct?” 

Tom said calmly. They were lucky that they were talking through thoughts in their mind, which was still a mystery. But they would figure it out later, now their main problem was someone wanting to harm Harry. 

“Yes, the Longbottoms came to visit my parents and the twins. Nina, the house-elf, brought me a treacle tart and said that it was from the Longbottoms. The pie tasted a bit different from the normal ones though.” 

“And you still ate all of it even when you noticed it tasted different? 

“It was a gift! I wanted to be grateful and it’s not like I always receive gifts…..” 

Tom sighed heavily, how can a child as clever as Harry could be so innocent sometimes? However, what he said really made him curious, a child of the Potters didn’t receive gifts and didn't get spoiled was something no one would think of, especially when they were the family of the twins who lived. 

“Alright, back to the treacle tart you got from the elf, there is a high possibility that the pie was spiked with a potion.” 

Harry thought for a moment, there were only four people who would want to harm him in this place. James and Lily were currently talking with the Longbottoms so it couldn’t have been them, which only left two people. His own brother and sister: Anisha and Matias. The Longbottoms had absolutely no reason to harm him. 

“I think I know who did it but unfortunately I can’t do anything to them nor tell my parents about it.” 

A bitter smile appeared on Harry’s face, Tom couldn’t see it but he could feel what Harry was feeling. Bitterness, helplessness and anger. Tom didn’t understand why Harry couldn’t go and tell his parents about it. Surely the Potters would be fair and kind to their children like what everyone said, wouldn’t they? 

“Oh, great Merlin! Mom and dad are going to be furious if they see my room like this!”  
Now that Harry paid attention to the room, it seemed like a hurricane had just gone through. James wouldn’t be pleased with this. Tom could feel the fear in Harry. Usually, parents would calm their child when this happened but with Harry’s reaction and what he said, James and Lily didn’t seem like they would be so nice.

“There is a spell that could help with this but I’m not really sure you can manage it. It is a non-verbal one after all.” 

Said Tom, who stared blankly at the room through Harry’s eyes. The boy seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before excitedly saying to his friend:

“We wouldn’t know if we didn't try right? Can you teach me that spell, Tom? Please?” 

They fell into a silence for a while after Harry’s request. Tom had to ask himself whether to teach him or not and came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t hurt to let Harry try and learn the spell with a little bit of Tom’s help. 

“Alright, close your eyes and concentrate on your magic. Imagine your room before all this happened. Command your magic to change the room back to normal or in your case, ask it to help you tidy and fix the room.” 

Harry closed his eyes and found the familiar warm feeling inside him. Calmly and politely, Harry asked it to help him fix the room to how he remembered it to be. While Harry still had his eyes closed, the room started to fix itself, even his old blanket became cleaner and looked new. Tom could feel what was happening, unlike Harry who was too concentrated to notice the change of the room. 

When Harry opened his eyes, both Tom and he stared at the room in surprise and ỉmpressment. While Harry was feeling proud of himself and tired, Tom felt absolutely unbelieving. The boy was just 6 years old, he just had an unstable magical core incident and then he had fixed his room with a non-verbal and wandless spell. He had received some help from Tom as he was the one that reached to his core and kept it stable when Harry did the spell, but still, this amount of power wasn’t right, it wasn’t something a child like Harry should possess. The only word to describe him was “genius”, that was for sure. 

“Congratulations, Harry. You succeed in your first try.”

Tom said softly, the boy was just fascinating. He seemed like he didn’t understand how strong and powerful he was. If he was taught carefully, he would easily become a very frightening opponent. 

“Thanks, Tom, for teaching me how to do it! No one ever told me how to use magic because they said that I was too young.”

Harry smiled happily even though he didn’t know whether Tom could see it or not. He was too happy to notice such a thing. Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing a very angry James and an annoyed Lily. 

\- How dare you attempt suicide using your mother’s potion?!

The little boy slowly proceeded to understand what his father meant by that. At the same time with Tom.

They thought that Harry had taken the potion to commit suicide and was clearly angry of the fact that he had used his mother’s potion more than the fact that their child had almost died. That knowledge made Tom fall into confusion. Weren’t the Potters famous for their good nature? Why were they now showing him the opposite? 

Harry, in James’s and Lily’s eyes, seemed scared and sorry for what he had ‘done’, but only Tom knew that he was actually completely used to it: tired of the routine of getting bullied and pranked by his twins. 

\- I… I’m sorry, mother, father. I just…

Lily snorted at her youngest.

\- Next time, if you want to die, come to me and say it. I will have a plan ready so that your death wouldn’t affect the twins’s reputation along with the family’s reputation. 

Tom couldn’t believe what he just heard from what Lily- the girl who his faithful Potion Master loved so much- just said. She just said that she would help Harry commit suicide! She would help her own son kill himself! 

\- No meals for you today, as I see that you are longing for death, meals won’t be needed anyway.

James said with a sneer then closed the door loudly. When he thought that Harry would break down crying and begging, the boy just let out a sigh and shook his head with a knowing smile.  
“This happens often?” 

Harry immediately stiffened. He had almost forgotten about Tom. 

“Yeah…. It’s hard to believe so I didn’t want to tell you….” 

Most people would think that if they didn’t see what Harry meant with their own eyes. Now that Tom had seen it, things just got more complicated and he felt completely disgusted with the Potters. He of all people knew very well of the feeling of being abused and bullied. So he didn’t like how Harry was so normal with it, so used to it. 

Was this why the boy had learned about healing charms and potions in secret? 

Was this one of the reasons why the boy loved reading? 

That wouldn’t do and Tom wouldn’t let his new friend, a very young boy at the age of 6, suffer this in such a manner. The boy shouldn’t have gotten used to this. He had to stand up for himself, and the boy had the potential to be a great wizard just like he did. 

“Harry, would you like me to teach you some spells that would help you get revenge and cure yourself?” 

Harry seemed a bit surprised at the sudden offer. He honestly didn’t expect his friend to offer to help him. In fact, he was expecting Tom to be shocked with the new information about the Potters. 

“I would love to, Tom! I can’t wait to do more magic!”

The boy said enthusiastically. Somehow, his behaviour amused Tom. The child was so innocent and pure. How such a boy like him could kill him was a puzzle to Tom. Maybe Fate loved the irony of ‘the Dark Lord defeated by a baby’ story or maybe the child was gifted with the power that could be equal to him since birth. 

However, whatever it was, he would entertain himself with this tutoring thing until he found a way to solve the puzzle called ‘Harry Potter’.


	5. The realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the new chapter!!  
> \- is for talking to people in real life.  
> " " is for talking through the mind link.   
> Parseltongue will be added later when they appeared.  
> Sorry for late update ^^'

Harry sat nervously in front of his friend. After what had happened, he had decided to sleep early (because at least when he slept, he didn’t feel the hunger). Furthermore, he knew that his friend had questions for him. Despite how much he hated answering them, he preferred Tom knowing the whole story to him not knowing and starting to assume things. 

Tom, on the other hand, was relaxed and calm. Now he knew partly why the child was so different from what he had expected. He was quite pleased because he knew, irritated and angry with what happened to him, and also, he didn’t know what to do next. Tom Riddle was not the kind of person who would give you comfort and soothe you when you were sad. He would say all true, harsh things if he truly cared about you. He didn’t care about how you felt, simply because he didn’t and couldn’t feel what you were feeling. Or that’s what he choose to believe in. 

If he said sweet, calming words then you were being lied to. Which meant he was trying to manipulate you and make you serve him. Right now, he didn’t know what to say to Harry because he knew if he said the wrong thing, the child would break down completely and that was not something Tom wanted to do to his first friend: someone he actually cared about. 

\- So, do you mind if I ask since when did this happen? 

The child was stiff but then sighed heavily.  
-For as long as I can remember, my parents never cared much about me. The moment I could do things on my own, they would leave me and let me do it all by myself, while they were taking care of the twins. Things changed when I was 5. It all started after a ball where I performed accidental magic and hurt a few kids because I was angry at what they said about me and my family. They didn’t want me to be better than the twins so they beat me in order to keep me in place. The twins used to play with me and were very nice, but after that day my mom told them that I was trying to take their presents and attention away from them. And they started bullying me. 

The two then fell into a comfortable silence. Tom needed time to think about all this. He now realized why he had wanted to offer Harry his friendship; because they were so similar, though at that time he didn’t know the full extent of their similarities. If anyone told him that the child was abused before all this he wouldn’t have believed it, but with what Harry had just told him, along with is observations on how Harry would react when asking about his personal life, it made sense. They were just too alike; both abused, both bullied, both half-bloods and both powerful, though the way he acted was different from Tom, a completely opposite kind of reaction. Maybe it had to do with the fact that James and Lily would know that he was the one who did it, after all, James was an Auror and Lily was a very capable witch. Bonus with the fact that they were Harry’s parents. The child was innocent and pure enough to reject the idea of killing his own parents, and add that to the fact that he seemed to have a normal person’s morals and feelings, then it was no surprise that they differed too much in personality

\- I see… Is it only your family or is there anyone else? 

Tom was pretty sure that there were more. 

\- Well, there are those who admire and worship the twins to the extent that they would do anything to please them. Ron Weasley is their best playmate right now. Some adults who believed in whatever the twin said with a passion. Their godfather, for example. He is a strange man; if he sees you do something wrong, no matter who you are, he would scold you. But if he didn’t see it and his loved ones said that you were doing wrong things, then he would believe them. I can’t actually blame him, I knew that some people tend to believe their loved ones without a doubt. 

Harry said softly with an understanding smile. That smile made Tom think that the child was too innocent for this world. Tom was never a fan of child abuse, he will never be, that’s why he wanted to bring changes to the wizarding world, to make it a better place for magical children and Harry just made him want to do it more. 

\- Let’s drop this subject, for now, I can see that you are uncomfortable with it. How about we talk about your future lessons with me about magic? 

Harry smiled brightly and then they started to discuss when, where and what they are going to start. After a while discussing, the two have come to an agreement that they would start their lesson tomorrow, the quicker the better, in the library of the Potters as no one who would do harm to Harry if he went there. Tom had vaguely thought of things to teach the boy, he was powerful and talented enough to learn things he wasn’t supposed to know till he went to Hogwart. 

\- Tom… I wonder… Do you… Do you pity me? 

Harry nervously asked the question that has bothered him since the very beginning. The lack of reaction unsettled him. He didn’t even know what to expect if Tom knew actually. 

The Dark Lord debated with himself whether to tell the child the reason why he wouldn’t pity Harry, instead, he understood and felt empathy for Harry. He, after all, had been through something similar, he knew how it felt when you are being bullied and abused. Thinking for a while, he finally said. 

\- No, I do not pity you. Pity is only for those who just accept their fate, anyone can control them. They’re weak. You while accepting it, for now, is not the kind of person who would let this continue forever. And you are powerful. If you were not who you were, I wouldn’t have befriended you. Your living condition would not affect my decision to offer you my friendship. 

Harry was taken by surprise for a while then slowly smiled and sighed in relief. He was scared but now Tom had reassured him that he wouldn’t stop being his friend, everything was good.

* * *

The twins wanted to scream in frustration. 

They were looking forward to seeing Harry get in trouble with mom and dad but they didn’t seem to care. They only locked him up and didn’t give him a meal! That wasn’t enough punishment for stealing a potion. Adding the fact that he broke many things, despite the fact they were all small things, he still broke them. That was clearly unfair. 

The twins had no idea that they had almost killed their brother. James and Lily didn’t intend to tell them about that either. They also didn’t know the reason James didn’t beat Harry was because if the boy’s body had to endure more damage after an unstable magical core situation, he might die, and if that happened; they would have a lot of things to explain to the press. 

\- I can’t believe mom and dad didn’t do anything to him! This is so unfair! People get arrested for stealing but he was only locked up! That was too easy on him!  
Matias pulled out a tantrum with his sister. 

\- I know, Mati, but we have told mom and dad about it. For some reason, they didn’t want to do it today. Maybe they will do it tomorrow? 

Anisha said thoughtfully which made Matias fall into silence. Of the two, Anisha was the smart one and Matias was the working one, after all. 

\- We will leave him for now, mom and dad must have a reason to leave him like that. Now, forget about that excuse of a brother, let’s plan what to play tomorrow! Maybe going to the forest or the lake! 

The twins then started their discussion about new pranks and activities to do for the next day.

* * *

Little Harry woke up excitedly the first time in his life that day. He was going to have his first lesson about magic with Tom! The little boy, after finishing his morning routine, called for the elf and told her to bring his breakfast to the library like yesterday. 

Nina was surprised, she had never seen her young master like that before. The boy was like a lifeless body roaming the manor before. He rarely smiled happily. Now, he was more excited than ever. The elf didn’t ask, secretly happy for her young master. 

Harry literally ran to the library to Tom’s amusement. Last night, they didn’t talk about their strange link and had ended the conversation rather soon. The Dark Lord had insisted Harry rest, not talking to him, not thinking about anything, just resting. His body had endured enough damage, it didn’t need mental problems to add to it. It was the first night they ended their conversation without anyone outside coming and waking Harry up. 

-While you are having your breakfast, I will explain to you what you need to do before starting to study spells or any kind of magic. Unlike the 11 years old children, your magical core isn’t developed enough to be stable when you use your magic. Yesterday was different, I was helping you keep your core stable at that time. However, that’s not a good method to use in the long run. Therefore, today, the first thing you need to do is meditate and try to keep magic around your body like a cloak. That way, it would help the core get used to your way of controlling magic, well, asking. Although, I did notice that you have already gotten used to it. I need to see how long you can keep it that way. The longer the better, I will also know how long I should permit you to use your magic. You’re still young, using too much magic and exhausting your magical core wouldn’t be good in the future.

Harry listened carefully as his friend explained what he needed to know about the core and meditation while eating his breakfast. He knew a little bit about meditation but didn’t know that it could help him control his magic. Therefore, the little boy was very curious and excited to try. 

Tom had decided that Harry would meditate 15 to 30 minutes a day, studying magic theories for 2 hours, then practising spells. It was very convenient that Harry didn’t need a wand to do magic or else he would need to find a way to get a wand for him or just teach him theories, which he wouldn’t prefer to do. After meditation, Tom decided that Harry was only permitted to use advanced spells 3 times a day and simple spells 7 times a day. When he reached his 11th birthday, that rule would be lifted, but now, for his own safety, Tom would only let Harry use that amount of magic.

Soon, after a while, they finally started practising spells. Harry's first simple spell was the levitation spell but then Tom believed that Harry needed to know some advanced, non-verbal and wandless healing spells if anything happened, the simple spells can be practised later. Harry was ecstatic. He wouldn’t feel hurt for long after a beating anymore. Also, he wouldn’t need to worry about dying during a beating because he could cast the spell when James beat him. 

“Alright, your healing spells are good enough. You can keep yourself alive at least. Anyway, I believe it’s enough for today. You should rest.”

One thing Harry realized when Tom was teaching him was that he was a very strict teacher, he wouldn’t give compliments easily and when he did, that meant you had done better than anyone your age. Little Harry nodded his head then took some fairy tale books and read them. His life had always been dull like this. Only books, no toys, no games, no friends. He learned to read when he was around 4 years old because he had nothing else to do. The twins did play with him but they did also have work as the twins who lived, James and Lily usually took the twins to places without Harry. Therefore, the little boy had to entertain himself by reading and studying. 

-Harry, have you ever thought of revenge on your family?

A question out of his own curiosity. However, as soon as the question got out, Tom realized that it held some value. First of all, if the child did think of it, Tom then knew that he could have Harry on his side if the child didn’t then he just gave him something to think about. Secondly, he would know the extent of their alikeness. 

\- Well, to be honest, I have.  
The excitement from Tom came through to Harry as soon as he finished the sentence. The child chuckled, then continued.  
\- However, now I just want to prove that they are wrong and leave them, never needing to care about them again. They are humans after all; and humans are greedy, selfish, power-hungry. Therefore, it is normal that they care about fame and fortune more than their own child. I hate them of course, but the difference between human beings and how they decide who is more superior is how well they can control their instinct and desire, so I can’t help but feel they are nothing but inferior. Not someone I would need to care about in the long run. 

-So… you see them as nothing but insects?

The Dark Lord’s voice was low and smooth It sounded perfectly calm but Harry could feel it. His amusement that was hidden under that calm facade. The little child smiled innocently and answered with a childishly sweet voice.

\- Yes, but some insects still bite. Though it isn’t dangerous, it still hurts, so I would prefer if they knew their place and left me alone as soon as possible. If you want to punish them in my stead, I wouldn’t mind at all. 

Tom finally lost it. He laughed darkly but happily for the first time in decades. How a child like him could sound so innocent but evil at the same time was beyond him. Literally, Harry knew that he would like to see his parents get what they deserved, he would like to see them scream and regret what they had done to him; so he just told Tom that he could do anything he wanted to them and little Harry couldn’t care less. 

\- Glad you like the idea. 

Harry chuckled as he heard his friend laugh. He was happy that the idea pleased his friend instead of making him despise Harry for being a bad child. Usually, people would accuse him of being ungrateful to the person who gave birth to him, who raised him and took care of him. But his friend always seemed to be an exception, he never acted like the people he knew and saw. 

-Ah, Harry, no one would ever think that you are a child of a Light family. Don’t even mention the fact that you are their saviours’ brother if they heard what we just talked about.

A chuckle coming from Harry echoed in the silent library. 

\- Then we should be glad that everyone has forgotten about my existence right now, shouldn’t we? 

Harry sounded quite bitter about it but it came out lightly because he actually meant it. He was glad that no one cared right now so that he could have lessons with his friend, spend more time with him without people worried that he might be crazy. He would forget how sad and miserable his situation was as long as he had his friend with him. Harry shook his head and made the bitterness fade away, looking back at his book and asked Tom, who had become silent after what he said: 

\- Anyway, I notice that I don’t know much about you, not as much as you know me. So do you mind if I ask? Like about your friends and family? 

Tom debated with himself again, the friends part, he could answer truthfully, but the family part... How much would he tell him? That was something he needed a while to debate. If he gave him too much, Harry would be able to figure him out sooner and without him knowing but Tom didn’t want Harry to feel untrusted or sad. He was Tom’s first friend. Despite what people thought he was: a man without emotions and all that, aside from love (the effect of love potions on his body), he could feel things people felt, so in order to lessen the pain he would feel if someone betrayed him (Combined with the fact that he saw no one who could be his equal and Harry *cough* was actually prophesied *cough* to be one *cough*), he didn’t make friends. Therefore, when he has one, he would do anything to reduce the possibilities of having Harry betray him. 

-I don’t actually have friends, Harry, You are my first friend, just like I’m yours.  
That statement had something that made both him and Harry feel weirdly happy  
-About my family, well, you could say that my childhood is the same as yours, the only difference is that I wasn’t living with any of my parents or relatives.

\- Oh… I’m sorry. 

\- There is nothing to be sorry about Harry, that’s the past and I already took care of the problem between me and my father. My mother… well, I didn’t have the opportunity to meet her, she… died after giving birth to me. I didn’t care much, to be honest. 

Harry fell into silence for a while then asked:

\- Why… Why didn’t you make friends? I mean you didn’t want to have someone you could trust and understand you? 

Tom chuckled darkly at that. Oh, if Harry knew the environment Tom grew up in, he would’ve never said that. 

-Unfortunately, I never thought that having a friend is nice up till now, instead, I believed that no one is good enough and no one is trustworthy enough to be my friend. Having no one to care about will bring me less pain and risks. If they decided to betray me, I wouldn’t feel so pleased.

\- Then why…. Why did you befriend me? 

Harry unconsciously asked. It really made no sense if Tom just met him and decided something like ‘This boy seems smart and strong enough to be my friend so let’s ask him to be my friend’ with that mindset. 

-Well, at first, I didn’t even understand myself, I just felt something different from you, you… you are not like what I expected when I heard you are a Potter. Until I knew what your life was like, I figured out the reason. We have too many common things, we are both powerful, both intelligent, both had bad childhoods and…. Both half-blood. 

The last part was said as a whisper. Harry suspected that Tom was afraid he would find out something about him with that statement, like who he is to people around him or something like that if the wariness he felt from Tom had anything to do with. 

\- I see… that explained it, no one in their wildest dream would think that one of the Potter’s children had an abusive childhood after all.

* * *

A few days passed quickly like a wind and the two’s relationships grew closer and closer each passing day. Tom was focused on teaching and making Harry be more comfortable around him. The true Harry always brought joy and amusement to Tom. The Dark Lord had to admit that little Harry was a prodigy in both magical theories and practical skill. He understood everything Tom said and could perfectly do any simple spell in the first try. With a little more advanced one, Harry took 2-3 times. However, the child wasn’t permitted to practise advanced spells every day, it was magically draining him a lot and Tom didn't want to damage Harry’s magical core. Therefore, he only practised advanced spells once every 3 days. 

Harry was happy too though: he finally had someone to talk and share his thoughts with. But if he was honest with himself, he didn’t understand why Tom seemed fascinated by him. No one could blame him either because Harry had never seen other children’s lessons on magic. He heard that kids in ancient magical families received private tutors. 

\- Say, Tom, why did you always seem to be fascinated by me? I mean I can’t be that special, right? 

Asked Harry, who was lying on bed and reading a Dark Arts book. This was one of those times where Tom wanted to bang his head against the wall (he didn’t do it because he was a Dark Lord, a respectable and patient Dark Lord.). The child told him that he didn’t know how strong and talented the other children his age were. Therefore, Harry wouldn’t know much about normal children’s abilities. He had to calm down. 

-Harry, I know you didn’t know much about children your age, and your siblings are literally not the best example. Believe me in this, you are far more powerful and intelligent than any children in the magical world I know. Well, except me, of course.

Harry chuckled at the last part, he had figured that Tom didn’t like to lose to anyone, so it was absolutely normal but also hilarious when he was so full of himself.

\- I already know you are the best and the strongest in this world Tommy, don’t need to remind me. 

He teased the Dark Lord, not knowing he was close to the truth. Tom rolled his eyes, he was somehow used to Harry teasing him now, although he knew that this was not like him and if the Death Eaters saw this, they would think Harry had a death wish. Not to mention that stupid nickname, he only let the child call him that because he seemed like he was going to cry if Tom didn’t let him do it. (Tom didn’t need to know that Harry pulled out that face because he knew that Tom couldn’t deny him anything if he used it.) 

-Your abilities to understand me and your bravery impressed me every time, Harry 

\- Don’t be sarcastic, TomTom, I can feel your emotions like we have something like a soul link. I know what you are feeling. 

Harry had meant it as a joke. Tom knew that. He stayed quiet as the truth dawned on him. Something he should've realized long, long ago.

He was a memory, a piece of his soul. 

Harry could feel his emotions. 

He could see what Harry saw, could feel what Harry felt. 

He could reach Harry's magical core. 

Oh, great Merlin. 

Tom cursed silently in his mind as he realized the truth that was so obvious and frightening at the same time. 

Harry was his Horcrux. 

The vessel of his soul.


	6. An encounter with the headmaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- is for talking to people in real life.  
> " " is for talking through the mind link.   
> Parseltongue will be added later when they appeared.  
> Enjoy!

A strange silence bestowed upon them. Harry noticed that his friend had left him alone; his mind was completely clear, no sign of Tom. The little boy scowled a bit because he clearly didn’t understand what had happened. Therefore, Harry put the book aside and slept; fell into his dreamland to meet the Dark Lord in his study, who was weirdly quiet. Harry sat next to the older boy and asked.

\- Tom? Is something wrong?

The teen snapped back from his thoughts and looked at the worried face of his little friend. A sight of confusion passed through the Dark Lord's eyes for a moment, something he never thought he would feel again has appeared: insecurities and fear. Tom feared that Harry would never talk to him again if he knew of his true identity, of the terrifying truth about himself. 

-No, I was just lost in thoughts. Don’t worry, Harry. 

Harry’s fear grew as he could feel that Tom was bothered by something. He would be a very bad friend if he didn’t do something to make Tom feel better and he didn’t want his friend to be like this at all. Harry smiled reassuringly with his eyes filled with trust and worry. 

\- You know, you can tell me anything right? 

Tom could see Harry’s concern very clearly on his face and through his eyes. The Dark Lord sighed; he hated to admit it, but Harry knew how to make him feel he was cared for, and that was something he had never felt before. He was used to being the one who had to take care of people. For example: taking care of his Death Eaters to ensure they wouldn’t bring chaos everywhere or plan on betraying him. 

\- I know Harry, but this matter is something you can’t understand yet. Even some adults couldn’t understand it. So don’t worry. I will be fine, it is not something that would affect me much at the moment. 

But it would affect you greatly when you find out, dear Harry. Tom thought ironically.

\- Does this matter concern me? 

Harry was just guessing. He had never seen Tom like this, aside from when he was poisoned by the twins. His friends' worry was pushing him to assume the worst. However, it seemed like he was right again: Tom stiffened. Little Harry sighed as he knew that Tom wouldn’t tell him anything with how he was acting. 

\- Do you promise that you will tell me about it later? 

Tom relaxed at that, at least the child knew when to give up instead of being stubborn and making him feel uncomfortable like some stupid Death Eater or some stranger he met during his trips, which he had killed. However, if Harry really wished for the truth right now, Tom wouldn’t know how to act if he was being honest with himself. 

\- I promised that I will tell you when the time comes, you have my word. 

Harry smiled softly at that, Tom was not the kind of person who would go against his word after all. Now that Tom was finally done with his problem, he noticed that Harry was sitting next to him and he couldn’t help himself from trying to make the birds nest on Harry's head neater. (It didn’t work, to Tom’s irritation.)

\- It won’t work Tommy, leave it be. You’re making it messier. 

Knowing what Tom wanted to do, Harry tried to stop him. He knew his hair best after all. It was a trait of every Potter and no one could fix it. While Harry was trying to pull away, Tom noticed a pout and the uncomfortable look on his little face which was pretty adorable (‘What in Merlin’s name am I thinking?!’- The Dark Lord screamed internally). Despite a part of him screaming at how he can have such thoughts, he chuckled at Harry. 

\- Trying wouldn’t hurt now, would it? 

Harry kept the pout on his face even after Tom took back his hand. While the two quietly had tea and relaxed; Tom was thinking about what to do next. The fact that his supposed to be vanquisher was his Horcrux changed everything. 

First of all, he wouldn’t want to risk losing his immortality by destroying a Horcrux, the more the better after all, and losing one would also affect him. It would also add to the list of ‘reasons not to kill the prophesied child’.  
Secondly, when he finally decided to tell Harry about his identity and what he was, if he was lucky: Harry would accept the fact and help him get back his body. However, Tom wouldn’t let himself be hopeful about it too much, lest he would get hurt if Harry did decide not to help him. Lastly, Tom would need to teach more defensive spells, he didn’t want Harry to get hurt in the beginning but having another reasoning wouldn’t hurt after all. 

The week before Halloween was the busiest week for the Potters, especially for Harry. After all, the 31st of October was the day the twins had vanquished the Dark Lord, the day the two of them became famous, the day of the wizarding world throwing big parties and sending the twin gifts after gifts. Many invitations were sent but the Potters only participated half of it, with the reason that they wanted time to recall all the good memories of their grandparents who have sacrificed themselves to try and protect the twins. However, the truth behind that reasoning was just that the twins didn’t want to go to the families which were lesser than them. No one, not even Sirius and Remus, knew about this. Harry had seen Matias pull out a tantrum about this while Anisha quietly nodded at everything he said. It happened every year. 

Tom seemed to be amused by all the tantrums Matias pulled whenever James Potter asked if he wanted to go to a certain party. The Dark Lord also felt disgusted by this, after all that boy acted like a spoiled brat while his Harry lived a life of grief and pain because of them. While they were getting new clothes of the best quality; the Potters bought Harry clothes that were absolutely uncomfortable and the quality of them was no way near the twins’ clothes quality. As much as Harry despised going to these parties, he had to go because the Potters didn’t want anyone to find out what was happening within the family. The excuse of sickness could only be used once in a while after all.

Harry stood uncomfortably in the corner of the ballroom. This was the last party he had to participate in for this year’s Halloween and it also happened to be the Longbottoms’ Halloween party. For all he knew, Neville was also a target of the Dark Lord so this day was also a very special day for them, they were able to escape the Inner Circle Death Eater after all. 

“I hate doing this.” 

Harry said through the mind link. He was answered by Tom’s amused chuckle.

“The party or to put on your mask around longer than usual?” 

“Both.” 

Harry replied without hesitation. Tom knew Harry hated putting on a mask, that was why he didn’t talk to his godfather as much as he wanted. He didn’t want to risk letting Remus know about his true personality when he was too happy and forgot to act. 

“At least after this, you can have all the time in the world at the manor. The Potters would be busy spoiling their twins.” 

Harry sighed heavily.

“Let’s just hope that I wouldn’t have to talk to those fans of the twins until the end of the party”

As they ended their conversation, Remus came beside Harry and smiled kindly. 

\- Enjoying the party so far, Harry? 

The little boy looked at his godfather with a bright smile. 

\- I’m enjoying myself right now Moony! This place has so many people. I would love to befriend them! I talked to some too, they are all nice and kind to me. 

A snort came from Tom after Harry ended his small rant. The boy had had to deal with two groups of bullies and a few bad adults since he had come to this place. However, they both knew that no one was going to listen to what Harry said about being bullied and his parents clearly weren’t going to care.

\- I see that’s nice, cub. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself and made some friends. 

Remus seemed to be nervous for some reason, he looked at Harry’s big innocent eyes then sighed heavily. 

\- You see, Harry, your dad asked me if I can bring you to Grimmauld place during Halloween to stay with me and Padfoot. He said that he wants to tell the twins something important and if you know about it, you will be endangered. So, will you come with me? 

Harry used all he got to restrain from letting out a long breath at that. He wasn’t surprised that James didn’t want him at the manor during Halloween. That day was always the day he was locked up quietly in his room with some addition of pies and sweet that the elves gave him. 

The little boy kept his smile as innocent and enthusiastic as possible and answered. 

\- I would love to, Moony. I like that place's library a lot! 

The werewolf looked kindly at his cub, he always knew that Harry wasn’t close to his parents like the twins. Sometimes he would find that Harry was at the library while his family was outside playing games of tag or Quidditch. Remus believed that the boy was just clumsy and liked books better than embarrassing himself outside. 

\- Ok, you will come with me after the party. Your things will be brought to you later. Let’s meet at the entrance, alright? 

Harry let out a heavy sigh as Remus left to look for Sirius, the boy immediately finding a darker corner in the room. 

“This happened many times I believe?” 

“Yeah, there are times where I stayed in my room but there are also times where I came with Remus because my parents don’t want to see me at all.” 

The Dark Lord became quiet for a while then asked. 

“When I went to Hogwarts, I became acquainted with most of the Black family and visited their ancestral house plenty of times. I remember that there was an elf that hated bad blood with a passion. As you are a Half-blood, did he do anything to you?” 

Harry shuddered at the mention of the Black’s elf: Kreacher. 

“Well, aside from saying things about mudbloods and how his mistress would be enraged and disappointed with Sirius, he didn’t do anything. I spent most of my time in the library and the room I was given so we didn’t cross paths much.” 

“Good, stay away from that creature. I don’t hate any kind of magical creature but he is annoying.” 

Tom grunted and Harry giggled at that. If Tom hated the elf that much then he would need to find a way to stay away from the creature.

* * *

|The next day, The Ancestral House of Black.|

\- Ok, Harry, your room has been tidied up. Keep it this way alright? And don’t steal anything. 

Sirius said with a stern face. Although he didn’t hate Harry, he saw his friends scolding him for stealing and things like that a lot of time and their reasoning for his actions sounded good too. Therefore, the Auror couldn’t help but see Harry as a bad child. 

The little boy didn’t mind it at all, he understood why Sirius said that as the twins framed him as a thief many times. Harry quietly nodded and walked into his room before the man closed the door and left Harry on his own.

“Finally alone.” 

All of a sudden, Tom said with an amount of relief. 

“I will change my clothes and then we can go to the library. Kreacher will come there at midnight to clean up so we wouldn’t meet him there.” 

Harry suggested and started to change. Tom, a gentleman that he is, didn’t use Harry’s vision to look at anything. They had talked about this once and Harry’s face was so red that Tom couldn’t help but tease the poor boy a whole week then.

“Alright, will they notice that you are using magic?”

“Probably, so we can’t use magic here let’s just go with the theory and maybe some history lesson?” 

Tom asked Harry with a small amount of disappointment. He really loved doing magic after all. 

“Very well then.” 

Tom agreed with a small smile at the boy’s love for magic. Harry was going to be a genius if he continued to do his best and keep his passion and love for magic like this; his path to greatness would be easier and he would be worthy to stand next to him if the boy joined him in the future. 

As they arrived at the library, Tom instructed Harry to the books he wanted him to read but didn’t have in the Potters manor, the darker and more dangerous books. The Dark Lord decided that Harry would study harder theories and runes. The boy for some reason loved runes and seemed to have a special talent with them. However, he was quite bad at Potion and Divination. Tom didn’t know why just yet but he was determined to make the boy excel in those two subjects. After a few hours of studying, the dark lord let Harry have a break and the boy decided to use it to read some books he wanted to. 

“I never asked before but I’m curious, when will you continue your study in etiquette? The Potters wouldn’t let you learn with their precious ones and usually, the lessons for 4 to 5 years old children only taught you to be polite on the dining table and to the adults. There is still much to learn.” 

Harry looked at the book he was holding with a small blush and whispered.

\- I… didn’t think of it much. I know the importance of etiquette of course, but my parents as you can see didn’t seem to care about me when that was mentioned. I have thought of self-learning but well, I don’t think that would be a good idea because I don’t have any role models, I can get the facts from the books wrong and humiliate myself. 

Tom let out a heavy sigh, he didn’t think of it much either because Harry had always been a very polite and well-mannered boy. Therefore, the Dark Lord believed his etiquette was well taught, now when he knew the truth, he would not let Harry stay unaccustomed to the pureblood etiquette and behaviours. Thankfully, Harry had already mastered the art of self-control quite well for his age so Tom wouldn’t need to teach him that. 

“Alright, Harry. Etiquette lessons will be added to your timetable until you have worked on them well enough. I believe it would only cost you utmost a month or two to be done with it so don’t be so disappointed.”

The teen smiled interestingly at Harry’s annoyance and disappointment. The boy didn’t want something non-magical interrupting his timetable it seemed. 

A clicking sound from the door of the library caught Harry’s attention, he stood up from his seat, put the books on the table back to their places quickly then moved out of the shelves to see who it was. No one could enter the house without uncle Sirius’s permission after all. Standing and looking around the library was a very old but familiar man to Harry and Tom: Albus Dumbledore. 

\- Mr Dumbledore? 

Harry asked quietly but sweetly. The old wizard moved his attention to the tiny voice and figure. Albus smiled a grandfather smile at the young boy who James and Lily neglected and threw into Sirius and Remus’s care. 

\- Harry, my boy, I see that you still have your passion for books. Also, I have told you to just call me grandfather.

Tom sneered in disgust and hatred at that man in Harry’s mind, only Harry knowing about it. Although he didn’t know why his friend hated the Headmaster of Hogwarts so much, he would need to be a bit cautious around the old wizard from now on. Tom never hated someone without a valid reason whether it was about their personality or what they did to him, usually, he would only downright hate someone when they did something wrong to him. That’s what the Dark Lord had told Harry in one of their midnight conversations when Harry had asked some questions out of boredom. 

\- I love books, Mr Dumbledore! And I’m sorry, I don’t think that I should address you as such, I’m very happy that you would let me though! Please don’t get me wrong!  
Harry waved his hand as an act of panic and his voice raised a bit to make the act more realistic but then he looked down and softened his voice.  
\- I just… I think that it was very impolite to call you such, I heard the twins’ etiquette teacher telling them that calling someone who is not related to them ‘grandfather’ is rude. 

And the twins didn’t care about that; they still called Albus grandfather anytime the man visited them. He rarely talked to Harry as the twins captured all of his attention. 

\- Ah, I see, but Harry it is not rude if I tell you to call me that, is it? Being addressed as Mr Dumbledore reminds me of my father. 

The old wizard chuckled at that and his eyes twinkled as he looked at Harry. 

“Do as he said, for now, Harry.”

Tom said, annoyed. He had never thought that he would meet the man he hated the most on earth here. Seeing him talking to his friend made the teen want to shoot a Cruciatus curse if he had a body of his own. 

\- Ok, grandfather! Why are you here anyway? I thought no one came here during Halloween….

Harry changed the way he talked to a bit blunter and more impolite manner like his siblings usually talked and like how he talked to Moony. His eyes shone with curiosity that every child his age would have. Looking at Harry right now, Albus’s smile only got bigger because he was relieved and happy that the child was still as innocent and normal as ever. Despite his display of jealousy with his siblings sometimes, the boy was still very young after all, jealousy of the attention his siblings got was normal. It seemed that James and Lily had done a great job to keep the child at bay using the violence method. The Headmaster knew that abusing a child was a wrong thing, but this was a necessary sacrifice. Harry must know that his siblings were more important than him as they were the hope of the wizarding world.

\- I’m here to talk to your uncles, Sirius and Remus. I was just about to leave the house when I came across the library so I thought I might visit you before I go. 

\- I see, so my mom and dad told you I’m here? Or was it my uncles? I just got here this morning, I didn’t see any of them contact you at all. 

The Headmaster didn’t seem to be aware of Harry’s suspicion nor did he thought Harry wished to know what they were doing and whether Albus had contributed somewhat to the boy’s sudden moving last night. 

Tom was quiet and watched in amusement at the child’s way of manipulation. It was so easy to notice but with a six-year-olds: no one would have doubt or even think such a little child could do something so scary and it seemed that the Headmaster was no difference. 

\- Your parents are having a meeting with me regarding your sibling’s future education, my boy. I suppose you should know that they are going to learn with me in the future so they won’t be at home so often as well as your parents. You might live with Remus or your other godfather for a while from now on, Harry. 

Harry, in Albus’s eyes, seemed sad. He looked down to his feet, hands holding his shirt tightly and lips pushing out a little, like a pout. However, in truth, the young child was wondering whether to be happy or sad, if he didn’t have to see his parents much in the future, it meant that he would have more time to practice magic although he would need to see who he was going to live with, Remus or with his other scary and strict godfather. On the other hand, he was not pleased with the fact that he needed to move from place to place often and needed to be on guard frequently. The old wizard patted the little boy’s messy hair, unaware of the rage he got from the Dark Lord when his hand touched Harry’s head. 

\- Don’t be sad, Harry. If you are a good boy, your parents may bring some gifts for you. Also, you must understand, your siblings need to be trained in order to save the wizarding world in case Voldermort comes back to life, and I believe he will come back despite everyone's believes. 

Harry nodded nervously then smiled in understanding. 

\- Yes, grandfather, I understand.

\- I’m glad you do, well then, I suppose it’s time for me to go back to the school. Can’t leave teenagers alone for too long or else the school might be burned down.

Albus winked, took back his hand and walked out.

\- Bye-bye, grandfather! 

Harry said after him quickly then sighed in relief that the man had gone because Tom was angry, really angry. 

“So… can you tell me why you hate him so much?”

The teen was quiet for a while. Harry thought that it meant he didn’t want to talk about it. However, as Harry laid on the couch in the room with the book he was reading before Dumbledore arrived. The Dark Lord answered his question.

“You will know in time, Harry. For now, you just need to know that the man has contributed to making my life hard.”


	7. Muggle world and a Muggleborn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- is for talking to people in real life.  
> " " is for talking through the mind link.   
> Parseltongue will be added later when they appeared.  
> My deepest apologies for the late update.

\- I’m curious about the Muggle World.

Harry, who was laying on the couch in the study room, told the Dark Lord. He had just read some books about Muggles, and he had figured that he wanted to see more of the world he had never seen before. The boy wanted to know how they were able to survive without magic.

\- And you’re telling me this because-?

Tom raised an eyebrow at Harry while holding his cup of tea. He didn’t think of the Muggles much these days because he was busy teaching and spending time with his friend. Now when the topic came up, he couldn't understand why Harry would be asking this to him." Was… Was he expecting him to find a way to get him there or to him to teach about this, them?

\- I want to see their world so I’m telling you to help me go.

 _Oh great. _T__ he Dark Lord rolled his eyes with a smile of smugness _ _. _Just as I thought.___

\- Why do you want to go there? And what are you curious about? They, while are pretty smart, are very vicious. Not to mention boring.

Harry sat upright and looked straight at the Dark Lord’s blood-red eyes with determination.

\- Well, first of all, I know how vicious they are. I have read about their wars and they are horrible; more horrible than our wars. However, that is the point.

Curiosity and interest brightened the child’s eyes as he continued:

\- How can they create such horrible inventions without magic? How can they create inventions that are far more advanced than ours? You have to have noticed that there are many things that we couldn’t do as efficiently as them. I just want to know what their method is, what their knowledge is, and make it ours to use.

Tom looked at his friend for a while. He never thought of bringing the Muggle inventions to the Magical World. He didn’t want to use things that came from such beings.

However, he thought back to the war he lived in once; the war he had survived through: Their weapons could kill thousands of people in seconds. If he could change those weapons to something that only magical beings could access and activate then even when the Muggles found out their existence, the wizarding world would have a way to defend themselves. The realization struck him, made him realize how messed up he had been. He had been too focused on conquering the magical world and forgot about the threat that is the Muggles. As despicable as they were, they were still dangerous.

\- Alright, if you want to go there, I suppose I can help. First, you need to be prepared with the knowledge about the Muggles such as how they act and which words they use that differ from us.

The Dark lord calmly stated.

\- Second, if you want to go alone, you must have money on you, their money is different from us but I would suggest you ask the werewolf to take you because there are some Muggles that love to kidnap young boys or any children to sell them or rape them.

Harry’s eyes brightened in delight. The Avada green eyes always made the Dark Lord stare at how stunning they were when shining with happiness.

\- Thank you so much, Tom! Can you teach me about them now? And then I will ask Moony to take me with him the next time he goes out?

Tom slightly smiled at his enthusiasm and agreed

\- Very well, let us start with how they talk first.

And so, that night was spent on lessons about Muggles.

The Dark Lord was cautious with what he said though, just in case he slipped something that could cause Harry figuring out his past. It was not the right time to tell his friend about it.

The next morning, Harry didn’t waste any time to ask his Godfather to take him to the Muggle world with him. Remus was worried though because of the excitement his godson showed and the possibility of disappointment in case the Potters didn't approve of this. Therefore, he did what he thought was best.

\- I will ask your parents first, ok cub? If they let you go, I will take you with me today.

Thankfully, the Potters didn't care about Harry enough, so they just said that Remus could do whatever he wanted. While he was feeling absolutely happy with this, Remus felt sad and a little wary about how his friends treated their youngest. “Oh, you can take that boy anywhere, don’t need to tell us.” -they had said, weren’t they supposed to be worried about what happened to their son?. Remus quickly made up an excuse for their behaviour for himself. “They believe in me, so they don’t worry. I shouldn’t doubt them.” With that, he ignored his instincts and happily took Harry with him to his apartment in the Muggle world and around London city.

Little Harry looked around, eagerly asking things he didn’t understand to Remus. The werewolf kindly explained everything he knew, from the television to the phone booth. From the electricity to the cars, feeling overwhelmingly happy with how pleased and excited Harry looked. The boy had been staying inside the library for so long and he rarely looked this happy, only on a few occasions.

During Remus’s explanations, Tom also added some more information about some inventions’ history that he knew, but he had to admit that many had changed, drastically so. Therefore, this trip also benefited him; knowledge was always welcomed.

\- Harry, cub, I need to go alone from here so can you play in that playground while waiting for me? Promise don’t go with anyone and get lost?

Remus didn’t want Harry to know about Sirius and his relationship together and what he was going to buy, which was something children shouldn’t see or know of. Harry understandingly smiled brightly and nodded.

\- Of course, Moony. I promise! Please come back soon?

\- Thank you cub, I will be back as soon as I can alright? You should be expecting me to come back in 2 or 3 hours.

With that, Remus left Harry alone in the playground full of children his age. Tom was not pleased with that but he grudgingly accepted it. At least now he could have all of Harry’s attention to himself.

“So what do you think about this trip up till now, Tom?”

The boy asked his friend smugly (Probably took that from the friend himself.), after all, he believed that Remus didn’t know much about the technology.

“Well, it’s not useless at the very least.”

Tom irritatingly replied. How can the intelligent, polite boy change to this cheeky boy so fast? But despite that, the Dark Lord felt weirdly smug with the fact that Harry was comfortable around him now, enough to be cheeky. The irony was wonderful too: the child of the lightest family, the Potters, being comfortable around the Dark Lord. The face of Dumbledore when he learned this was going to be hilarious.

Harry giggled, then looked around the playground. The children played brutally, especially the boys. Some boys pushed each other roughly, and it seemed like they could easily break their arms if they were not careful. He looked at them and gulped. Harry better stayed far away if he didn’t want serious injuries.

The little boy looked around and found a bench, far away from the adults and kids in the playground. He sat down, closed his eyes and relaxed. Harry stayed indoors for too long, after all, this was a pleasant change. However, he didn’t get to be alone for long: a man around late thirties sat down next to him with a sweet smile.

\- Hi there, little one. Where are your parents? Why are you here alone?

Harry cautiously looked at the man while Tom silently cursed.

\- I don’t like to play in the playground.

After quickly analysing the situation, the boy decided that he had no choice other than to play along. If he was right, the man would shout something like he was his relative and came here to take him home if Harry tried to get away. And no one would care even if Harry screamed for help since he was just a child: still too young to know anything, throwing a tantrum. Tom was there to see what Harry thought and couldn’t help but agree.

The young boy looked around the area to see if there was anyone that had noticed this suspicious situation. Seeing that no one actually looked at them. The man took that as an opportunity to act, he leaned in and whispered:

\- If you know what’s good for you, be quiet and cooperate.

Then he stood straight up and smiled brightly at Harry.

\- Oh, don’t be stubborn, your mom is waiting for you at home, it’s just a toy. Why did you run away because of a toy? Let’s go home. I will buy you more alright?

With that, the man picked Harry up and walked out of the playground quickly. Tom and Harry both sighed desperately at that. The little boy didn’t cry or shout anything because he could protect himself. He was scared and panicked even when it didn’t show on his face; he was. The Dark Lord knew that so he said nothing to comfort him, Harry would need to get used to fighting alone because Tom couldn’t always be there for him. Furthermore, this was a chance for him to practice his magic in a fight despite how easy it seemed. If the boy was too scared to remember how to use his magic, then he was doomed. As cold and heartless as that sounded, Tom knew he had to have Harry prepared for anything bad that could happen to him and not have him depend on anyone or anything, even Tom himself. That wouldn’t do, and Tom would not let his friend become such a pathetic person.

Soon, the man stopped in a storage house. He put Harry down on a chair and roughly tied him up. He chose to keep Harry awake because he loved the sound of children’s screams.

\- Hah, can’t believe that lady luck is on my side today! I had never seen such a beautiful boy before. Ooh, imagine what I can do with such beauty!

He said as he looked around the storage house and made sure the doors were locked. As the kidnapper lived in his fantasy, he was unaware of what was awaiting him. Harry, after finally gathering his bravery and calmness, had been reviewing what was the best curses he could use to cause the man immense pain before the man looked back at him with a wicked smile.

\- Ohh, you are so cute and wonderful, little one. Come here.

The man walked closer to Harry, and he looked like he was going to drool over him. The boy felt extreme disgust and a bit of fear because he thought about other children, who had no way to protect themselves in this kind of situation.

\- Locomotor Wibbly.

The man collapsed immediately with his eyes filled with terror as he realized his legs had become something like jelly. Harry didn’t waste any time and untied himself easily without using any magic at all, the man had tied him so quickly and sloppily that it was very easy for him to escape.

-Furnunculus.

Tentacles appeared on the man's face and he started to scream, touching his face and scratching it in hope that it would go away. Harry stood in front of him, keeping a completely blank face and cold eyes filled with disdain and coldness while he wondered whether he should kill the man or not.

“Do not need to dirty your hand so early, Harry. There are many ways to stop him from harming children and give him hell without sending him there.”

The boy agreed with his friend and came to a solution. If the man couldn’t walk or couldn’t move at all, he couldn’t hurt anyone.

\- Levicorpus.

The man’s body was lifted to the ceiling, his scream was now mixed with sobbing and pleading for mercy. However, Harry wasn’t paying him any attention as the boy withdrew his magic and let the man fall. He would be dead if his legs hadn’t taken the brunt of the fall, shattering in countless places probably.

-Obliviate.

Harry couldn’t have the Aurors find out about this after all. When the man lost consciousness as his blood spread in a circle around him, Harry smiled and sighed in relief. The main part was done, next was how to clean it up thoroughly.

“Just leave him somewhere people can find him, Harry, and clean this place with your magic like how you clean your room. That should be enough.”

Tom helpfully suggested. After all, Harry didn’t have much time. He had about 30 minutes before Remus came back, so that option would be the best. The little boy nodded to himself and concentrated on cleaning the storage house before focusing his attention to the body on the floor.

A few minutes later, sitting on the bench he was sitting before the kidnapping, Harry smiled brightly and felt very proud of himself. That had been the first time using magic to defend himself!

“You have done very well, Harry. Your choice to put the man on the sidewalk outside the park was a good idea.”

Little Harry giggled at that. He always liked it when Tom praised him, but sadly Tom wasn’t the kind of person who praised people much.

A faint scent of magic came to Harry, which caught his attention immediately. There, next to the slide, stood a girl with bushy brown hair surrounded by a bunch of boys. She seemed annoyed, but a hint of her fear was still visible.

-You’re a bookworm! A freak! An ugly girl!

A boy said, shoving the girl harshly with a rude smile. The magic around her flew angrily, and it was ready to attack the boys. However, it didn’t because the girl was hesitant and scared but soon enough the girl was able to gather her bravery and shoved the boy back.

\- You are just jealous! And I’m no freak! I’m just special!

She shouted as her magic started to act to hurt the boys and kept them away from her. This was not good at all. If this continued, it would go badly when the Muggle authorities got involved and the Ministry found out. Harry and Remus would also have to cooperate with them to solve this, and both Tom and Harry hated that idea. Therefore, the true Boy-Who-Lived had to help her get out of this mess. He stood up, casting a small fire next to the slide near them to get the attention of people.

It worked immediately as parents ran and motioned their children away, which gave Harry an opportunity to hold the girl’s hand and pull her away. However, the lack of adults coming to get her was lost on him. When they were finally alone, far from the crowd and near the playgrounds’ gate, emerald eyes trailed up and down, then spoke.

\- Are you alright? I hope the fire didn’t reach you before me.

The young girl inspected her body before looking up to him and whispered frighteningly, yet admiring and grateful at the same time.

\- I’m… I’m alright. Thank you for helping me out. That fire was impressive! How did you do that?

\- First of all, what’s your name? And how did you know that it was me?

\- Oh, sorry, I’m Hermione Granger and for your question….- She looked around nervously then came closer to him, leaning in to whisper to his ear- I… I can see something like an aura around you and… well, I can see that the aura of you shifted and that fire had the same signature as your aura.

Harry kept his blank face when she moved back from him. He supposed she was a Muggleborn when he first saw her, but he didn’t think the girl would be a magic sensitive witch. Those were rare, the ability to see the magic around a magical being was as rare as being a Parselmouth. Some even said that they were rarer. Harry had just found out he was one recently. Tom had said that he didn’t know who blocked his ability away, though. The ability had been with him since birth.

“Her ability is rare enough for me to overlook her tendencies of idiocy just now. Those boys called her a bookworm, so she may be smart. I suppose she is a good one for you to talk to.”

Harry smiled as his friend spoke his approval for Harry to befriend her. He knew that Tom didn’t like Muggleborn much, and he had to work on that later though, Harry didn’t see Muggleborn and Muggle as lesser at all.

\- I’m Harry James Potter. What you see is not an aura, it is magic. I’m quite surprised that you have that ability, to be honest.

Hermione seemed to be caught off guard at what he said, but then she gathered her composure and looked at him. Her eyes shined with curiosity.

\- Magic? Like those in fairy tales, I heard mom and dad read to me every night? They are real? Can you show me more of it?

Harry smiled at her, motioning her to follow him to the big tree nearby and when he had made sure that no one could see them. He grew a small flower under the tree, which made Hermione gape in awe.

\- There you have it. Now, back to what you have said to those boys, you were corrected about your assumption. You are special, every magical being is special. You are a witch, Hermione, in case you wonder what or who you are.

She looked away from the flower as soon as he spoke, and her composure was completely forgotten.

\- So there are more people like me? Where are they living? How did they keep their existence a secret from people? Are there any differences between their culture and the normal people’s cultures? Do they-

\- First, you need to acknowledge yourself as one of us too, Ms. Granger.

Harry cut her off in a neutral tone and a frown. Both Harry and Tom didn’t like the way she asked her question. They didn’t have any problems with answering her, but they didn’t like the fact she asked things like she was studying some rare species or other countries that she just came to see or heard of.

Hermione stopped and looked at Harry, completely confused by what he meant by that, but she was smart enough to know what he meant after a few minutes of thinking.

\- I’m so sorry! It’s just that this is all new to me! I’m sorry for my ignorance!

“She is very smart for her age, somewhat like you, Harry”. Tom whispered amusingly in his head while Harry nodded in acceptance of her apology and told her about the Wizarding World. About what they called non-magical and blood status, about how they lived among the muggle, how they worked and about their cultures.

Harry didn’t have enough time though since Remus had appeared and seemed worried as he saw the crowd of people and firefighters in the playground. The young boy asked Hermione to come with him to meet his godfather as soon as the man noticed him.

\- Harry! Thank, Merlin, you are alright!  
He said, rushing over to his godson.  
\- And who might this be?

\- Remus, this is a friend I just met, and she is a Muggleborn, her name is Hermione Granger. Ms. Granger, this is my godfather, Remus Lupin.

Looking into the werewolf’s friendly eyes and warm smile, Hermione confidently greeted.

\- A pleasure to meet you, Mr Lupin! You don’t know how surprised I am to hear what Harry told me! I knew I was special, but the children in my school always call me a freak! Every time I made something moves without touching it or making things disappear and appear, they all shun me!

The man was slightly confused and scared that his godson was wrong at first, but hearing her description of what she can do made him hardly doubt that fact.

\- I saw her doing accidental magic, Remus. I see the twins do enough accidental magic to acknowledge one!

Seeing the hint of doubt in his godfather’s eyes made him speak just in case. Remus ruffled Harry’s hair with a chuckle as he saw that his godson was worried.

\- Alright, Harry. I believed you. And from what she described, it did sound like accidental magic. Are you the reason that led to the commotion over there?

Harry looked at her hoping she wouldn’t tell anyone because he had completely forgotten to tell her that. Thankfully, she looked at him and smiled knowingly.

\- Yes, I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to control myself, Harry- If you don’t mind me calling you that- took me away from the fire before it reached me.

\- I don’t mind at all. Can I call you Hermione?

Harry said with a smile at her while Tom scolded him slightly for being careless. The two children looked at each other and giggled as Remus observed them fondly. He decided to take them to have some ice cream. When asked about her parents, Hermione confessed that she lived nearby and her parents said that she could go out if she wanted as long as she came back before lunch and not went so far so it wouldn’t hurt if she goes with them to the nearby ice cream parlour.

At the end of the trip, Harry promised to send her letters via Muggle mails until she was 11 and her parents were informed of the Wizarding world. Remus didn’t mind helping him sending those letters after all. The werewolf was happy that his godson had found a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give me some reviews about the story up till now, please. I really love to read your comments!  
> Also, enjoy the show :>


	8. The Black's ancestor and a new challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry met the Black's ancestor and accepted a challenge from Tom about the Muggle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- is for talking to people in real life.  
> " " is for talking through the mind link.  
> Parseltongue will be added later when they appeared.  
> \-----------  
> Happy Lunar New Year!  
> I'm so sorry for the extremely late update, I'm working on chapter 9 so I hope it won't take too long for me to finish it. This chapter is somewhat like the calm before the storm. Therefore, enjoy!

A week after the meeting with Hermione, the two exchanged letters every day to help the young witch get accustomed to the wizarding world. Harry asked about the technology muggles used. The girl was smart for her age, she knew what she was talking about. Although she was a bit bossy and sarcastic; as long as she didn’t apply her bossy nature on Harry, they would do fine as friends. Aside from that meeting, nothing happened to Harry during the rest of his visit to Grimmauld place. He usually spent his time in the library. 

\- I’m getting bored, reading is wonderful but I need to change the routine once in a while. Tom, give me some suggestions.

The Dark Lord sighed in exasperation at the child’s demand, it seemed that he had been too soft towards Harry. He would need to fix that later.

“Explore this place if you are so bored, you cheeky brat. You didn’t even look around your room yet.”

Which was true, all Harry had used in the room was the bed he was given, the bathroom, and the wardrobe. Harry smiled brightly and immediately started his exploration. Tom made sure to tell him what things were cursed and dangerous so Harry could stay away from it.

They went from the library to the kitchen, the living room then to the drawing-room. 

\- Oh what do we have here? 

A man in a portrait muttered as he looked at the little boy with a mess of a hair. He had politely knocked on the door before coming in and had closed it quietly. Harry looked back at all the portraits in the room then bowed respectively. 

\- I’m sorry for intruding, I’m Harry James Potter. It's a pleasure to meet the ancestors of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. 

Tom had taught Harry about Pureblood’s etiquette after the boy had admitted he hadn't been taught that subject. The Dark Lord was persistent in making him know it well, and according to it, he had to introduce his bloodline as well while introducing himself. However, Harry really didn’t want to mention it. If people knew about who his parents were, they would ask about the twins endlessly and the little child did not want that to happen. Tom accepted his excuse for now but it could only last until he reached 11. It would be alright to act ignorant in this age but when he got older, Tom knew that Harry would be targeted in Hogwarts just for being a Potter. He needed to be prepared to protect himself. 

The portraits stayed silent for a while after seeing Harry’s face, especially his emerald eyes. The Black was famous for their passion and knowledge for Dark Arts as well as their loyalty to the Slytherin house and lineage, which was why they were all infatuated by the colour of their admired house in the form of beautiful eyes. Shining brightly with innocence, sadness, and knowledge that boys his age shouldn’t possess.

\- Are you certain that you are a Potter and not a Slytherin or have a relation to the lineage? Your features may result in people thinking you are the Heir of Salazar Slytherin. 

Harry tilted his head in confusion. 

\- Is Salazar Slytherin’s eyes the same colour as mine? 

The oldest man and portrait chuckled at the boy’s confusion. 

\- Yes child, he has the same eye colour as you. Which makes this quite interesting. Say boy, does one of your parents have that eye colour?

\- Yes, my mother, a Muggle-born. Although, hers is not as bright as mine. 

They fell into silence once again, this time it was because of disbelief. This boy, who possessed great power and aura was a Half-blood? But not all of them were surprised, Phineas Nigellus Black snorted. 

\- You all are acting like this is the first time you saw a powerful Half-blood. Have you all forgotten about the Dark Lord of this era? 

Most of the Blacks shuddered at the mention of You-know-who, while Harry felt his friend’s amusement and pride as well as his annoyance. Which was weird, but he didn’t comment on it. He was occupied with something else in his mind.

\- The Dark Lord is a Half-blood? Everyone said that he is a Pureblood and of an extremely old lineage at that. 

\- I met the Dark Lord when he was still studying at Hogwarts. He was quite a sight to behold. 

Phineas didn’t give away any more information about the Dark Lord after that. He supposed no one dared to talk freely about Voldemort, even when they believed he was dead. That just showed how successful he was in being a Dark Lord. 

\- Let’s stop this conversation, we have received no visitors since forever, don’t spoil the fun with such a topic. Now child, you are a Potter, so you are possibly a Black as well? I remember there was a Black married into the Potter line not too long ago. 

The portrait of Licorus Black spoke, and all portraits took interest in the new topic that came up and quietly waited for the boy to answer. 

-Yes, there was a Black married into the Potters. She was Dorea Potter née Black, I’m not directly related to her though. 

Many members of the Black spoke to each other in excitement and delight because their house hadn't lost all hope yet. Sirius wasn’t the Heir that was fit for the House of Black. This child on the other hand was a nearly perfect heir of a Pureblood house. Harry was well-mannered, powerful, and from a bloodline that was related to the House of Black as well. 

-What is your view on the Dark Arts? 

-I don’t believe anything my family told me about the Dark Arts. Because I wish to look into it and form my opinion about it. After a few months learning about it, I can see that this branch of magic is fascinating and of course dangerous for reasons...

He stopped a little, remembering the time when he had first studied the Dark Arts.

\- It’s harder to control and master. It can also become an addiction, like some kind of drug. As long as I can control it, everything will be fine. About the morality that people always talk and use it to counterattack any arguments when Dark Arts get involved: what you feel is right constructs your justice and morals. What if people you love get attacked and you want revenge? Would you let your loved ones suffer because of your morality? The Light magic doesn't have as many powerful spells as the Dark, they can’t help you get your revenge from someone like a Dark Lord.

Many stared at the little child, impressed, while a few others laughed merrily in joy. Tom secretly smiled in victory. None of the wizards and witches in the Order of Fried Chicken can change Harry’s point of view later on. The child was quite determined and stubborn in what he believed in. 

“We should get going Harry, it’s almost time for lunch, we both don’t want to hear your uncles lecture about being late, do we?”

Harry chuckled internally at his friend’s sarcastic comment, then politely excused himself from the room with a promise that he would visit again soon. Tom was right when he said it was almost time for lunch, so Harry arrived at the kitchen just in time.

-Oh, Harry, you are here. Another package from Hermione just arrived a few minutes ago. 

Remus excitedly took the letter on the table and the box next to it then gave it to Harry with a glint of amusement flashing in his eyes, Harry hoped that Remus wouldn’t think that his relationship with Hermione could grow into something else other than friendship. 

In truth, Remus was amused by what was inside the box. He smelled the scent of papers in there, a lot of papers. He wondered what the young girl had sent to his godson. Books about muggles, maybe? 

Remus didn’t know that he was right about his guess. Harry had asked if Hermione would be able to send him books about Muggle’s creations in every area that she thought impressive. After days discussing the difference between Muggles and Wizards society, the two realized that the wizards were too behind when it came to innovation and life’s quality. The two children wished they could do something to help improve their world so now they tried to learn everything they could about the technology of the Muggles.

Tom, at first, didn’t approve Harry’s ideas but after a long discussion and persuasion on Harry’s part; the Dark Lord had agreed on one condition. Harry and Hermione must make use of the Muggle’s knowledge and create spells or creations that only those who have magic could use. 

Harry accepted the challenge immediately, as he loved to solve things people didn’t have an answer for, which was a wonderful trait he had. 

“Tommy, look at this. They managed to make a weapon that can destroy an entire city and corrupt the land so much that it’s left unable to grow any trees at the same time! This is awful!” 

The Dark Lord seemed thoughtful as he read what Harry pointed at. He had cut all ties with the Muggles since he had graduated Hogwarts, so he didn’t know much about this. However, the more he read, the more his cautiousness grew. Those Muggles have grown dramatically during the time he had built his own army. 

“I always knew they were vicious, but this takes them to another level.”  
He couldn’t help but admit that they were good. Many of their creations helped them work more efficiently than them using magic to do the work. 

“I’m so glad we decided to look into what they have been doing all this time. The Wizarding World is still ignorant. If the muggles found out about us, we will be extinct with just one push of a button.”

Tom nodded in agreement with what his friend had said. Harry started to make up theories on what kind of creations of the muggles would be good for them and how they were going to use it. 

The Dark Lord chuckled amusingly as he listened to his friends rambling about needing to learn more about runes, spell creation, and magical crafting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the short chapter, I know this is a pretty boring one but something quite interesting is gonna be revealed next, so please stay tuned!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy reading this!  
> 


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